BATU AND TRETES

Candi TigoWangi

A tiring but worthwhile round trip is to start from Batu early in the morning, taking the route west towards Pare. This road is exceptionally beautiful, passing by the lake at Selorejo and winding alongside a river in a valley covered with forest and rice terraces. At Pare the temples of Surawana and Tigowangi, though now in a ruined state, should not be missed. Dating from the latter half of the 14th century, these two monuments display some of the finest examples of East Javanese relief carving. Heading south from Pare, towards Blitar, the town of Kediri has a good museum and is the centre of production for one of Indonesia's leading brands of kretek clove cigarettes. At Blitar can be found the tomb of Soekarno. Proclamator of Independence and Indonesia's first president, who died on 21 June 1970. Soekarno's tomb is to day a popular place of pilgrimage for Indonesians.

10 km north of Blitar, close to Mt Kelud, is East Java's largest temple complex at Penataran. As at Surawana and Tigowangi, this former 'state temple' of Majapahit displays some exceptional reliefs. Completing the circuit, the road turns eastward, following the course of the Brantas River, through Wlingi, the. lake resort of Karangkates, Malang, and back up to Batu.

Tomb of Soekarno at Blitar

The Road To Jolotundo, Mt Penanggungan