A Jakarta Home For Spooks And Magic
Phillippa Stewart | December 26, 2009
Ki Joko Bodo’s temple-like home sits in an ordinary neighborhood in East Jakarta. The eccentric psychic has filled his home with all sorts of ghoulish images and tokens . (JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya ) Related articles
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Ki Joko Bodo’s Jakarta home is like a mini Borobudur Temple, but instead of offering tranquility and peace, it is full of spirits that are sure to spook.
Everything in his home is symbolic, and dark enclaves in which he practices his magic abound.
The eccentric home befits its owner — the 47-year-old psychic has scraggly unkempt hair, a wispy long beard and walks about shirtless. He has an inviting face and eyes that sparkle with energy, or perhaps with the satisfaction of knowing what the future holds before anyone else.
His actions and words are slow and deliberate, in true Javanese form, and this same care has obviously gone into his sanctuary.
On first sight, there is no denying his home is something else. The “Idiot Man’s Castle” (“ bodo” literally translates as “idiot”), as he calls it, is a gray-stone structure and is intricately decorated with Balinese carvings.
A 33-meter charcoal-gray tower looms over the site and dominates the skyline. It is totally out of place in the otherwise ordinary Lubang Buaya neighborhood in East Jakarta.
The Javanese Ki Joko was born in Bali, and his home is an amalgam of the two cultures. Balinese stone carvings of mythological figures, flowers and other traditional symbols adorn the exterior.
Ki Joko said he built the tower for prayer and quiet meditation. He uses the tower to keep a watchful eye on the people of Jakarta, to alert them to any natural disasters or political upheaval.
The house sits in the middle of a large plot of land, about 1,000 square meters, with the tower standing to the right of the house. Outside there is a paved garden, pagodas and a cave-like living area at the end of a stepping-stone walkway. Monkeys swing in cages, while the occasional dance or theater performance is put on at the tower’s base.
Ki Joko also uses the performance space for rain-dancing, and when the moon is full, he holds an event for virgins, who pray together and listen to their host’s advice on finding a husband.
Above the entrance perches a 15-meter giant owl metal sculpture. A large metal snake is caught in the owl’s menacing grasp, almost like a warning for visitors not to pass. Snakes and owls are depicted throughout the house: Owls pop up in flower pots, snakes appear on candelabras and weave themselves around the brass staircases.
“I was largely inspired by the kraton in Yogyakarta,” Ki Joko said, referring to the two-century-old Javanese palace. “There are a lot of snakes in the interior. The snake means long life — eternity. Snakes are constantly changing their skin and are always new. The owl is a symbol of mystical magic.”
But despite the spooky exterior, Ki Joko said his neighbors think there is nothing special about him, even though he has been featured a number of times on TV.
Beyond the breathtaking exterior is an equally captivating interior. Inside, narcissism wins: Graven images of Ki Joko can be found in the brass staircase banister. Upstairs, there is a lineal mural depicting Ki Joko’s life, from his childhood to today. In the mural, his is depicted in one image with a golden glow around his head and outstretched arms, evoking the image of Jesus Christ.
Walking through the front door of this four-story home leads to a white-speckled marble entrance hall. On the left are traditional Indonesian musical instruments, and to the right are wall paintings in muted earthy browns, yellows and oranges.
On the first floor is a room where Ki Joko holds his psychic consultations. Here, the wooden floor is framed in a decadent mosaic of marble in blues and greens. Some 20 handmade metal cabinets designed by Ki Joko line the walls, with images of Indonesian mystical characters Nyi Roro Kidul (queen of the south sea in Javanese mythology) and Tokoh Pewayangan welded in the front.
Romantic visitors might imagine walking through these cabinets and finding themselves stranded in some magical wonderland, like in the “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
The basement is the most conventional area of the house. To the right of a communal area is a children’s playroom. A sky mural is painted in this room and a large pink doll’s house sits in the center, while a grand piano fills a corner.
Ki Joko said he built this room so his children would feel more at home and at ease. He claims to have 32 wives and 40 children across the country. His children live with their respective mothers, and have a hard time adjusting to the spooky house when they visit, Ki Joko said.
Perhaps the most difficult spaces for Ki Joko’s kids to face is the convincing cave replica, beneath the basement, complete with artificial stalactites and stalagmites.
To enter, you have to squeeze through a narrow stone walkway and navigate about 10 steps in the dark. An eerie glow is created by white and red lights illuminating the darkest corners. Ki Joko practices his magic in the center of the cave, where there is a crucifix decorated with children’s clothing and a voodoo doll of a pocong , a corpse wrapped in white cloth. The pocong is used to summon ghosts or spirits of the dead.
Asked why he built this cave, Ki Joko quipped: “Because I am a psychic. If I were a banker I might have built a safety deposit room.”
Unfortunately, Ki Joko’s home is not open to the public, and if you try and sneak a peek, be warned: He’ll know you’re coming.
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