Monumental Java

The book is the product of the extensive study of Java’s culture, art, customs, traditions and ancient monuments. It sets up no pretence to completeness, there is no full enumeration of all the Hindu and Buddhist temples known by their remains, there are no measurements, no technical details, no statistics—a great recommendation to author’s mind as Dutch East Indian statistics go. Attempt to enrich the world with an exhaustive treatise on ancient Javanese architecture and sculpture. Beauty of nature guided them, thanks to the consummate art of their builders and sculptors, whose master minds, conceiving grandly, devising boldly and finishing with elaborate ornament, emphasized most cunningly the lofty yet lovely majesty of their natural surroundings. The author has preserved the fine illustrations from oblivion, which he considers his duty as a well-wisher of Java and its people. The subject of the book is very interesting to generate interest among the readers.