Candi Cetho (pronounced Cheto) sits on the southern face of Gunung Lawu at around 1400m. Thought to date from around 1350, this candi closely resembles a Balinese temple in appearance, though it combines elements of Shivaism and fertility worship. It’s a larger temple than Sukuh and is spread over terraces rising up the misty hillside. The entrance is marked by temple guardians and you’ll find a striking platform with a turtle head and a large lingam on the upper terrace.
There are six tiers altogether and it remains a focus of active worship. Balinese (and Javanese) Hindus visit Candi Cetho to pray and give offerings regularly. Indeed, the villagers who live just below the temple form one of Java's last remaining Hindu populations. The third tier is where you'll see the majority of the fruit, flowers, other offerings and burning incense – all from visiting pilgrims.
There are several homestays in the village, with simple rooms available for 75,000Rp to 100,000Rp per night. Cetho is usually included in the temple tours from Solo and Yogyakarta. By road, head to Kemuning then take the steep road through bucolic farmland, 9km past the Sukuh turn-off.
