The Jakarta Globe features Padang Hill in West Java, a 900m high hill that is home to the largest concentration of megaliths found in Southeast Asia.The word padang, in the language of the Sundanese people of West Java Province, translates as bright. One explanation for the name is origin is a legend about a king named Prabu Siliwangi, who wanted to build a temple on top of the hill in a single night. At the break of dawn, when he realized the temple was not yet complete, the king told his men to topple the whole construction. That is why there are standing stones atop the hill, some people say.
Arriving at the top of the hill was like being transported to another world. Thousands of black stone blocks, all partially covered by lichen, were planted, piled up, arranged and scattered on the grassy ground. All around us were the green hills and valleys of West Java.The blocks, of around one to two meters in length, seemed to be the ruins of an ancient building.
