Candi Ceto

Name : Candi Ceto

Location : High on the mountains near Solo in Central Java, the temple of Candi Ceto is sited. Candi Ceto is situated further up the Candi Sukuh temple in the mountains. The temple is at an elevation of five hundred meters or 1630 ft above the sea level. One can get a splendid view of the city from the temple. Located high up on the mountains one will certainly enjoy the trip.

Description : Inscriptions found here is evidence to the fact that the Candi Ceto temple dates back deep into history. Some of the dates found inscribed here are AD 1468, 1472 and 1475. The basic layout and design of the temple is similar to that of the Sukuh temple but the Candi Ceto temple has many more terraces. There are as many as 14 terraces. As at Candy sukuh the main deity portrayed here is Bima. Tattered fragments of narrative relics were found in one of the lower terraces. This apart there are large numbers of small stone turtles.

One of the most interesting remains found here at the Candi Ceto is a dilapidated figure lying flat on the ground. At the western end is a large linga similar to that found at Candi Sukuh , lying horizontally and pointing to the west. At its base is a composition representing a tortoise on the back of a huge bat. On the tortoise's back is a number of sea creatures pointed in various compass directions.

During the 1970s a new gateway was built. New structures were also added to the upper terraces which include stone walls and floors. 50 meters further up, there are slopes which are used for bathing purposes. Several statues and a wooden shrine are to be found here. Till the late 1970s high profile people used to come here to meditate. They believed that this place had supernatural powers. Local residents still continue to devote offerings for the deities.

Xochicalco

Name : Xochicalco. The name "Xochicalco" means "in the house of Flowers" in the Nahuatl language.
Location : In the western part of the Mexican state of Morelos. The site is located 38 km southwest of Cuernavaca, about 76 miles by road from Mexico City.

The site is open to visitors all week, from 10am to 5pm, although access to the observatory is only allowed after noon. The apogee of Xochicalco came after the fall of Teotihuacan and it has been speculated that Xochicalco played a part in the fall of the Teotihuacano empire.

The architecture and iconography shows affinities with Teotihuacan, the Maya area, and the Matlatzinca culture of the Toluca Valley. Today some residents of the villages closest to the ruins of Xochicalco such as Cuentepec and Tetlama in eastern Morelos speak Nahuatl.

The main ceremonial center is atop an artificially leveled hill, with remains of residential structures, mostly unexcavated, on long terraces covering the slopes.

The site was occupied by 200 BC, with the most notable architecture built between about 700 and 1000 AD. At its peak, the city may have had a population of up to 20,000 people.

Of special interest are sculptured reliefs on the sides of some buildings. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent has fine stylized depictions of that deity in a style which includes apparent influences of Teotihuacan and Maya art. It has been speculated that Xochicalco may have had a community of artists from other parts of Mesoamerica.

Other monuments at the site include several other step-pyramid temples, palaces, three ballcourts, sweat-baths, an unusual row of circular altars, and a cave with steps carved down into it. The site also has some free-standing sculptured stelae; others were removed from their original location and are now on display in the INAH museum in Mexico City and at the site museum.

Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tourist destination.

Another Unexcavated new Temple :

A Prehispanic roadway that leads to a temple built atop Coatzin Hill, in Xochicalco is being explored by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The study of the nearly 240 meters-long ceremonial road broadens the research area of the site located in the Mexican state of Morelos.



Labors began clearing the way in July 2010, thanks to the 1 million MXP inversion provided by the Temporary Employment Program (PET) developed by INAH and the Social Development Secretariat (SEDESOL). The ancient paved roadway that leads to the top of La Bodega or Coatzin Hill, to the east of the monumental Prehispanic city of Xochicalco was cleaned from weed. An unexcavated temple is found there, with features similar to those of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.

Other contribution to the study of this peripheral area, as said by the archaeologist, is that “we have more elements to affirm the hypotheses of Quetzalcoatl being the most important deity of the site; some specialists affirm it was Tlaloc and other that it was Quetzalcoatl”.

The temple yet to be excavated was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl is the highest and it is located at 1,325 meters above the sea level; it had a panoramic view of the site and was a protective space as well, having walls and moats that guarded it, he detailed.

Other element of the non-excavated construction that supports the hypothesis of Xochicalco being dedicated to Quetzalcoatl is the east-west orientation of the roadway and the temple atop.

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=41110

Cholula

Name : Cholula

Location : Cholula, Puebla, Mexico

Deity : Quetzalcoatl

It is the world's largest monument and largest Pre-Columbian pyramid by volume.

The temple-pyramid complex was built over many dozens of generations, from the 2nd century BC to the early 16th century, and was dedicated to the deity Quetzalcoatl. It has a base of 450 by 450 m (1476x1476 ft) and a height of 66 m (217 ft). According to the Guinness Book of Records, it is in fact the largest pyramid as well as the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, with a total volume estimated at 4.45 million m, almost one third larger than that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The Aztecs believed that Xelhua built the Great Pyramid of Cholula.

Today the pyramid at first appears to be a natural hill surmounted by a church. This is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Church of Our Lady of the Remedies), also known as the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios (Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Remedies), which was built by the Spanish in colonial times (1594) on the site of a pre-Hispanic temple. The church is a major Catholic pilgrimage destination, and the site is also used for the celebration of indigenous rites. Many ancient sites in Latin America are found under modern Catholic holy sites, due to the practice of the Catholic Church repurposing local religious sites.

Because of the historic and religious significance of the church, which is a designated colonial monument, the pyramid as a whole has not been excavated and restored, as have the smaller but better-known pyramids at Teotihuacan. Inside the pyramid are some five miles (8 km) of tunnels excavated by archaeologists.

Sukuh temple

Name : Candi Sukuh temple

Location : It is located in Berjo Village, Argoyoso district, in the slope of mount Lawu 35 Km east of Solo at a height about 910 m above sea level.

Description : The temple stretches from the east to the west with the main gate in the west. Sukuh Temple is decorated with wayang stone carvings of Hindu origin, the only erotic temple in Java. The stepped pyramid is like the ones in South America of the Maya culture. The temples are distinctive compared with other ancient temples in Central Java such as Borobudur and Prambanan, and its uniqueness lies in the landscaping, statuettes, and relief. The temples occupy an 11,000m2 area and consist of three terraces, each connected with an ascending alley. The most influential part is the last terrace, at the very back of the compound. At this very sacred area, once erected a homogenous phallic statue, which is now displayed at the National Museum, Jakarta.

Another interesting and controversial factor of this historical site is the artistic relief on its floor, which depict male and female organs symbolizing the birth of life. This kind of construction is common in prehistoric time, especially in the megalithic era of pundan berundak (terrace grave). The temple consist of three terraces, the first terrace is the lowest level, followed by the second and the third above it. The terrace are connected with stairs to each other, each of it has an entrance gate. The temple has believed to be constructed in the 15th century during the declining years of Majapahit Empire. The relief found beside the first gate are believed had mean (sengkalan) reads Gapura Buta Aban Wong and Gapura Buta Anahut Bubut, meaning the year of 1359 saka or 1437 AD.

Johnson, the resident of Surakarta, first discovered the temple in 1815 in a very poor condition during the period of Raffles government.

At Sukuh, sex is neither porn nor erotica; Rather it is spiritual, transcendental. At Sukuh, sex is the blending of male and female energies to create a new energy of rebirth.

Other Hill Temple nearby : CHETO TEMPLE




Cheto Temple is located about 5 km north and 500 m above Sukuh Temple.The layout of temple is similar to Sukuh except that it comprises many more (14) terraces.
The most interesting that still remain is a complicated figures composed of stones laid flat on the ground.