Why this ride
From Yogyakarta it runs 138 km to Yogyakarta; allow about 2 h 10 of riding. The stops in between: Prambanan Temple Compounds, Mendut Temple and back through Prambanan Temple Compounds. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it and Mendut Temple
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 138 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 10
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it
Yogyakarta was laid out along a line. In the eighteenth century, Sultan Hamengkubuwono I founded the city on an axis running from the smoking cone of Mount Merapi in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, with the Tugu monument, the Kraton palace and the Panggung Krapyak stage pavilion placed along it, embodying Javanese ideas about the cycle of life and the relation between people, ruler and the cosmos. The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and its Historic Landmarks was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2023, and the sultanate still functions: the sultan is also the governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
Read the complete The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it is where the day begins. Next is Prambanan Temple Compounds.
2. Prambanan Temple Compounds
Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia, a cluster of soaring stone towers on the plain between Yogyakarta and Solo, with the volcano Merapi brooding to the north. The central shrines were built in the ninth century and dedicated to the Trimurti: Shiva in the tallest tower, about forty-seven metres high, flanked by Brahma and Vishnu, with smaller temples for their mounts facing them. The walls are covered with reliefs of the Ramayana, carved so that you read the story as you walk clockwise around the galleries.
Read the complete Prambanan Temple Compounds write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Prambanan Temple Compounds comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mendut Temple.
3. Mendut Temple
Mendut is the small, elegant temple that most visitors pass on their way to Borobudur, and that is a mistake. Built in the early ninth century under the Sailendra dynasty, it stands about three kilometres east of the great monument, on a straight line that also passes through the tiny Pawon temple, and scholars believe the three were connected in a ritual sequence. Each year, at the Buddhist festival of Waisak, monks walk in procession from Mendut through Pawon to Borobudur, carrying candles and chanting.
Read the complete Mendut Temple write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 69 km into the recorded legs you reach Mendut Temple. Next is back through Prambanan Temple Compounds.
4. back through Prambanan Temple Compounds
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Prambanan Temple Compounds write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Prambanan Temple Compounds, late in the day. Next is The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it.
5. The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it to Prambanan Temple Compounds
The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it → Prambanan Temple Compounds is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prambanan Temple Compounds to Mendut Temple
Prambanan Temple Compounds → Mendut Temple is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mendut Temple to back through Prambanan Temple Compounds
Mendut Temple → back through Prambanan Temple Compounds is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Prambanan Temple Compounds to The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it
back through Prambanan Temple Compounds → The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and it is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.