Kedu Plain, also known as

Progo River The Progo River ( jv, Kali Praga, , ) is a river in southern central Java, Indonesia.Rand McNally, ''The New International Atlas'', 1993. The river passes through two provinces; Central Java and Yogyakarta Special Region. The source of the river ...

valley, is the fertile volcanic plain that lies between the volcanoes

Mount Sumbing Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

and

Mount Sundoro Mount Sindoro, Mount Sindara or Mount Sundoro is an active stratovolcano in Central Java, Indonesia. Parasitic craters and cones are found in the northwest-southern flanks; the largest is called Kembang. A small lava dome occupies the volcano ...

to the west, and

Mount Merbabu Mount Merbabu ( id, Gunung Merbabu) is a dormant stratovolcano in Central Java province on the Indonesian island of Java. The name ''Merbabu'' could be loosely translated as 'Mountain of Ash' from the Javanese combined words; '' Meru'' means ...

and

Mount Merapi Mount Merapi, ''Gunung Merapi'' (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian and Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most acti ...

to the east. It roughly corresponds to present-day Magelang and

Temanggung Regency Temanggung Regency ( id, Kabupaten Temanggung) is a regency in the Central Java Province of Indonesia. It covers a land area of 870.65 km2 and had a population of 708,546 at the 2010 Census and 790,174 at the 2020 Census. Its capital is the town ...

of Central Java,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. Its northern border is limited by hills of Kendal and

Mount Ungaran Mount Ungaran is a deeply eroded stratovolcano, located in the south of Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. There are no historical records about the mountain's activities. Two active fumarole fields are found on the southern flanks. The town ...

. The plain also borders the Menoreh hills in the southwest and

Prambanan Plain Kewu Plain, also known as Prambanan Plain or Opak River valley, is a fertile volcanic plain that lies between Merapi-Merbabu complex in the north, Bantul lowlands and Sewu karst limestone range in the south, Bengawan Solo river valley in the eas ...

in the southeast. The

runs through the center of this plain, from its source on the slope of Mount Sundoro to the southern coast of Java facing the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. It has been a significant location in Central Javanese history for over a millennium, as it contains traces of the

Sailendra The Shailendra dynasty (, derived from Sanskrit combined words ''Śaila'' and ''Indra'', meaning "King of the Mountain", also spelled Sailendra, Syailendra or Selendra) was the name of a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th-century ...

dynasty as well as

Borobudur Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur ( id, Candi Borobudur, jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦝꦶꦧꦫꦧꦸꦝꦸꦂ, Candhi Barabudhur) is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, not far from the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indone ...

and associated locations. During the colonial Dutch East Indies period, the Kedu Plain was located in the

Kedu Residency Kedu Residency (also known as Kedoe and Kedoo) was a colonial administrative unit in Central Java in Java, Indonesia. It contained the areas which are now the Kebumen, Wonosobo, Temanggung, Purworejo and Magelang regencies (including Magelang ...

, which at that time covered what are now the

Magelang Regency Magelang ( jv, ꦩꦒꦼꦭꦁ) is a regency in Central Java, Indonesia, famous for its 9th century Buddhist temple of Borobudur. Its capital is Mungkid. It covers an area of 1,085.73 km2 and had a population of 1,181,723 at the 2010 Cens ...

, Magelang City, and

administrative units. When

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

took briefly control of the region in 1811, Magelang became the seat of government. After the

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

ended, the English turned Java back over to the Dutch in 1816 and Magelang continued to play a central role in the Dutch East Indies. There is a small hill near Magelang called

Mount Tidar Mount Tidar (Gunung Tidar in Indonesian) is a small hill in the vicinity of Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. It is located in the south of Magelang, on the beginning of 40 km road to Yogyakarta. On the other side of the hill, there is a gol ...

that is referred to as the Nail of Java. According to Javanese legend, the gods placed the nail to prevent the island of Java from sinking into the sea from tremors.

Archaeological sites

The Kedu Plain hosts a large number of Hindu and Buddhist temples dated, from the 8th to the 9th century. Because of this, the Kedu Plain is considered the cradle of classic Indonesian civilization. The temples in the region include: *

: The gigantic 8th century stone

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monument was built by the

s. *

Mendut Mendut is a ninth-century Buddhist temple, located in Mendut village, Mungkid sub-district, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The temple is located about three kilometres east from Borobudur. Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon, all of which are ...

: The 8th century Buddhist temple is housing three large stone statues of

Vairocana Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East ...

, Avalokiteshvara, and

Vajrapani (Sanskrit; Pali: Vajirapāṇi, meaning, " Vajra in ishand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapāni is also ...

. *

Pawon Pawon (known locally as Candi Pawon) is a Buddhist temple in Central Java, Indonesia. History Located between two other Buddhist temples, Borobudur ( to the northeast) and Mendut ( to the southwest), Pawon is connected with the other two temp ...

: The small 8th century Buddhist temple near the bank of Progo River is located between Mendut and Borobudur. *

Ngawen Ngawen (known locally as Candi Ngawen) is an 8th-century Buddhist temple compound in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Located in Ngawen village, Muntilan sub-district, to the east of Mendut temple or to the south of Muntilan town cen ...

: The 8th century Buddhist temple is located about 5 kilometers east of Mendut temple. * Banon: The ruins of a Hindu temple; located several hundred meters north of Pawon temple. However, no significant remains of the temple have survived, thus, its reconstruction is impossible. Only the statues of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

, Agastya, and

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

have been discovered, which are now displayed at the

National Museum of Indonesia ) is an archeological, historical, ethnological, and geographical museum located in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, right on the west side of Merdeka Square. Popularly known as the Elephant Museum ( id, Museum Gajah) after the elepha ...

, Jakarta. * Canggal: also known as Candi Gunung Wukir. One of the oldest Hindu temples in the area. The temple is located in the

Muntilan The Muntilan area is a district ( ''kecamatan'') in the Magelang Regency, Central Java. Muntilan is about 15 km south of Magelang, 10 km from Mungkid, 25 km north of Yogyakarta, and 90 km from the main town of Semarang located on the northern coast ...

area, near the temple a

Canggal inscription The Canggal inscription is a Sanskrit inscription dated to 732, discovered in the Gunung Wukir temple complex in Kadiluwih village, Salam, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The inscription is written in the Pallava alphabet. The inscrip ...

connected with Sri Sanjaya, the king of

Mataram Kingdom The Mataram Kingdom (, jv, ꦩꦠꦫꦩ꧀, ) was a Javanese Hindu–Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established by King Sanjaya, the kingdom was rule ...

was discovered. *

Gunung Sari ''Gunung'' (also spelled ''Gunong'') is the Malay and Indonesian word for mountain —it is regularly used in volcano (as ''Gunung Berapi'') and mountain names throughout Southeast Asia. Mountains using the prefixes Gunung / Gunong The fol ...

: The ruins of a Hindu temple on top of a hill, located near Candi Gunung Wukir, on the outskirts of Muntilan. * Umbul: in Grabag, Magelang; it served as a bathing and resting place for the kings of Mataram.

Archaeological sites

See also

References

Further reading