TEGALDLIMO – Purwo Temple located in Pondok Asem . Hamlet, Kedungasri Village, Tegaldlimo District is not widely known yet. When someone comes, generally Hindus who will worship. With a location in the middle of the forest, This temple has a pretty beautiful panorama and can be developed for tourist sites.
Purwo Temple is located in the Perhutani area of South Banyuwangi KPH and Alas Purwo National Park (TNAP), in the wake of the year 1996. "The Purwo Temple has a long history in the civilization of the people on Earth Blambangan,"said the chairman of Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PhDI) Tegaldlimo . District, Joko Setiyoso.
According to Joko, The temple, which was named Pura Agung Candi Purwa, was 11 September 2011 held a release ritual, namely the cleaning and washing ceremony of the building. "In this ceremony, we mark it as a milestone in Sabdapalon's return to Java."," he said.
Around Purwo Temple, light him, there is also a mound known as Gumuk Gadung. That place, believed to be a place of spiritual debate between Prabu Brawijaya and Sabdapalon, and then separate to go their own way.
“Prabu Brawijaya headed to Mount Lawu to follow a new religion and had the title Sunan Lawu. While Sabdopalon remained faithful to the ancestral commandments and ancestral teachings, then disappear into the realm of niskala,he explained. According to Joko, on the sidelines of the debate, Prabu Brawijaya and Sabdapalon promised to return to that place five hundred years later, exactly on the third full moon. That arrival, marked by the growth of black thorny trees or known as lampis ireng.
"The kelampis ireng tree is actually the teacher's batara stick","explained the preacher of the Hindus. After five hundred years, the ancestral decree begins to show the truth. The tree grows in the middle of the wilderness. This place is now marked with Purwo Temple.
"The temple is a symbol of civilization", while purwo is the first or ancestral origin from eastern Java," he said. The site in the form of the Purwo Temple, has a high historical value. At the moment, Kedungasri Village Government, will open the historical place as a new tourist spot.
“Nature tourism and religious tourism,"Said the Head of Kedungasri Village, Sunaryo. To develop tourism, light him, they started to- build an access road to the location of Purwo Temple. “By opening as a tourist location, can provide economic value for local residents,He said. (radar)
