GedongSongo Temple. Fusion of Two Ancient Tradition.

Gedongsongo Temple on the slopes of Mount Ungaran built in the 8th century AD. Gedongsongo name given by locals for the temple complex. Gedongsongo derived from the Javanese language, "Gedong" means house or building, "Songo" means nine. So the meaning of the word Gedongsongo is nine (groups of) buildings. Gedongsongo Temple complex built from the bottom row up to the top of the hills at Mount Ungaran. This shows the character of a very specific Gedongsongo Temple is a fusion between the two religions that are local and global.Mount is a place of sacrifice to ancestor spirits. This belief is a pre-Hindu traditions of local communities. While the mountain is also a place of residence of the gods according to Hindu tradition, who was then developing globally affects nearly half of the world. Local traditions are usually reduced it role by global traditions, but both are able to standing equal in Gedongsongo.

In 1740, Løten found Gedongsongo Temple complex. Year 1804, the Raffles recorded the complex by name Gedong Pitoe because only found seven groups of buildings. Van Braam makes the publication in 1925, Friederich and Hoopermans make writing about Gedongsongo in 1865. In 1908 Van Stein Callenfels do research on the temple complex and Knebel taking inventory in the year 1910-1911.

In Gedongsongo Temple Complex, the foot can be recognizable through a profile that consists of hand bells and the seam is straight. On the outside of the body of the temple there are niches that once contained statues Parswadewata, but now mostly in empty condition, so the first temple-filled phallus and yoni niche in the stall. Recesses of the outer body are decorated with floral motifs and sometimes there are ornaments in the form Kala.

Parswadewata in Java is interpreted as offerings to ancestral spirits who have been united with Shiva and the temple symbolized by the Linga-Yoni who escorted the god of accompaniment, namely: Durga (the wife of Shiva), Ganesh (Shiva's son), and Agastya (a hermit who has the spiritual ability equivalent to god).

Three-tiered roof of the temple is decorated with miniature temples and antefix either plain or decorated. Plan of the temple is almost entirely a square but there is also a temple with a rectangular plan, is the size of the temple is very varied, ranging in width 4.5 m -9.5 m, 4.8 m length - 9m with different height from 3m - 8.9 m.

Temple on the sidelines between Gedong III with IV Gedong there is a mountain kepunden as hot springs. The tourists can take a shower and warm baths disebuah kepunden built near them. The smell of sulfur is strong enough and pretty thick clouds of smoke as he approached the hot springs.

According to the story surrounding people, supposedly the source of hot water is guarded by a creature named Nyai Gayatri, spirits of women from the island of Bali. Nyai Gayatri is one of ladies from King Sima. After death, Nyai Gayatri's spirits inhabit this spring. Nyai Gayatri is someone who loves to help others. Until died too, Nyai Gayatri still helpful. One way is to help cure diseases for people who bathe in these springs.

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