The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

An 1872 photograph of Borobudur taken by a Dutch photographer, Isidore van Kinsbergen. The picture also shows the Dutch flag on top of the main dome. The "Lost Temple of Borobudur" had been discovered!

The great Borobudur Temple in Central Java Indonesia is often compared to Ankor Wat in Cambodia.  Although Borobudur is not as vast as Ankor, it may be better preserved as the result of having been buried in volcanic ash for the past 700 years.

Borobudur is a huge pyramid literally covered with Buddha images and miles and miles of bas relief panels depicting the life of The Buddha, the royally of the period, and the life of the ordinary people of the region at the time.

The state of preservation is remarkable. The spouting corner Garudas are a good example.

Many (54 actually) fine Buddhas remain in their alcoves, untouched by looters.

Life-sized Buddhas everywhere decorate the exterior.

UNESCO and other donor maintain the structure and continuously engage in its restoration.

But the real treat of seeing Borobudur are the 2,672 exquisitely carved, and perfectly preserved 1300 year old stone panels. Magnificent!

The ancient sea.

Hindu Sadus, royal personages and their attendants . . . .

Life in the royal court.

The work of the servants.

Holy men and court advisors.

The lives of the Royals.

The Royals and their retinue.

The spiritual practices of the Royalty depicted everywhere.

Housing and village life from 1300 years ago in Central Java.

Many Indonesian tourists to asked me to take my photograph . . . I obliged, but only if I could take their photograph.  I found it amazing to think of these girls as the descendants of the girls carved into the stone just over their shoulders.  In fact, the girl at the left looks remarkably like the girl just over behind her!

I had the same feeling about these temple restorers on their break: they looked like the people depicted in the panels they were leaning against.

There were so many beautiful panels . . . and I took a million photos . . . here are a few more in a slideshow format:

I posted so many separate sections about my Indonesian holiday  that I feel I need to add this INDEX so visitors to this site can find what they want.  Just click on the links below, then click the 'back' button to come back here.

JAKARTA STREET DANCERS.  From Bali.

OLD PORT OF JAKARTA.   Stevedores and old wooden ships.

 JAKARTA SIGHTS.   Street dancers and sights around the old Dutch settlement.

STREET PEDDLERS' CARTS.    Whatnots and whatevers on the Indonesian streets.

YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA (Central Java).   Here and there around "Jogja."

CENTRAL JAVA.   Coffee plantation, volcanoes, jungle, the usual.

THE LOST TEMPLE OF BORABURDU.  Buried for 1300 years, the rediscovered.  World Heritage Site.

Jogja is a city of red roofs. I went out right after a morning rain which left everything wet and dark.

After Jakarta we flew to Yogyakarta (variously pronounced JogJakarta or simply JogJa) in Central Java and based ourselves in the wonderful Phoenix Hotel (not pictured here). This is a part of Old Jogja, along a swollen stream that cuts through the city.

Not all of Jogja is slum-like . . . it is an old world city with jumbled housing.

I walked along a bridge near my hotel and looked down on the red roofs of the houses that lined the river and saw a mother and child.

If I were to live in Jogja, I would want to live in this house . . .

. . . but I do not know what it would be like to grow up as a boy in these alleyways . . .

. . . or as a  gild in a wedding veil crossing her fingers . . . for something to happen, or not to happen.

Most of Jogja seemed locked in time (not a bad thing), but there was a little new construction going on.

Jogja still shows it history everywhere you look.

An Old Order way of life persists here.  One of the reasons I like to travel is to experience a sense that human life is not really teleological; it does not converge on some final perfect ending point.  Human life is just being.

Jogja people were friendly and courteous.

The little I know about Indonesian politics is that it is rough and tumble.

Because New Years Day was approaching, everywhere we went there were colorful horns for sale.

Almost every block seemed to have a fruit stand.

The important distinction to make about Islam here is that it is Indonesian, not Arabic.

It was great walking around Jogja, camera in hand.  It was also great to get back to the beautifully appointed Phoenix Hotel.

After Jakarta we flew to Yogyakarta (variously pronounced JogJakarta or simply JogJa) in Central Java and based ourselves in the wonderful Phoenix Hotel. In Jogja we hired a van and driver and took day trips to the many fascinating and beautiful sights in Jogja and Central Java, the "center of Javanese culture," as all the guidebooks correctly stated. This is a scene from the very beautiful Losari Coffee Plantation (now known as MesaStila) we visited, during an afternoon rain.

The countryside around Jogja is verdant tropical agricultural and surprisingly densely populated.

The rice paddy is worked with skill for maximum yield.

The city of Yogyakarta has many markets.  We woke early one morning and walked through the local side streets, many of which were morning markets.  The light was perfect and the subject was superbly photogenic . . . I took hundreds of photos . . . What to do with them all?  I will post some here, and the rest in a photo gallery elsewhere on this site.  GO HERE.

People were friendly i the market.  We asked people if we could photograph them - only a few refused.  I guess that is to be expected when your market is around the corner from a hotel full of foreigners.

By the look of what's on sale in the market, I'm guessing the local cuisine is hot and spicy.

In addition to the peppers, fruits, vegetables and meat of all kinds were on sale.

The market is also a place to be with family and friends.