Dieng Plateau (2,000 m), Central Java · -7.2050°, 109.9070°
The oldest surviving temples of Java, small stone candi standing in a volcanic caldera 2,000 m up — 'Di Hyang', abode of the gods, where Indian temple form first took Javanese root a century before Borobudur. Of perhaps 400 original shrines, eight remain among sulphur vents and coloured lakes, named by later tradition for wayang heroes: Arjuna, Bima, Gatotkaca, Srikandi.
Mist rolling over the caldera gave rise to the belief that this is where gods and ancestors meet; the annual ruwatan here shaves the dreadlocked 'gimbal' children of the plateau, releasing them from spirit-claims in a rite that predates and outlived the temples' own worship.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Kalingga/early Mataram