Dieng Plateau

[5] Dieng is a mountainous area, the ancient Javanese believed that the ancestors and gods resided in high places.

[6] A number of Old Javanese inscriptions dating from the 9th century in Central Java mention the existence of Dieng.

[6] Based on the findings of the inscriptions, in his time this plateau functioned as a religious center and place of worship for Hinduism.

The occurrence of the sedimentation process has an impact on the drying up of the entire lake area which gradually turns into plains.

[8][9] The landscape of Dieng, which is a plateau, is related to land requirements and the concept of sacred space in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology.

Based on environmental conditions, the sacred buildings in Dieng are predominantly dedicated to the worship of Shiva.

[12] Archaeological remains in Dieng generally tend to be of a Shivaistic nature, this is shown in the many findings of phallus, yoni, statues and inscriptions indicating that Shiva is positioned as the main deity.

[17] This concept shows that the landscape of the Dieng plateau is a cosmic axis that connects the world with divine nature.

[17] Based on the records of Thomas Stamford Raffles in The History of Java, Dieng is the place where hundreds of ancient temples were found that had been submerged in water.

[20] In that note, Cornelius mentioned that in 1814 the Dieng plateau was submerged in water so that it looked like a fairly large lake.

Armed with this report, in 1856, J. Kinsbergen visited Dieng and then reactivated the water channel called Gangsiran Aswatama by the local community.

The results of this research prompted the Governor of the Dutch East Indies to issue a decree containing archaeological discoveries in the Dieng plateau, the number of which reached 104, consisting of structures left over from buildings, temples and loose finds.

[21] Dieng is located at an altitude of ±2,100 meters (6,900 feet) above sea level and is surrounded by mountainous areas.

Although rare, frost has been recorded annually, particularly in the late evenings and early mornings of July and August, or lasting an average of one week.

Expansion of potato plantations had for a time resulted in significant environmental damage from erosion and deforestation, though recent developments have seen a degree of reforestation.