Central Java - Epitome of Dharmic Architecture in SE Asia - Part 3

After my transfixion with Prambanan and Borobudur, I had two more days in my hand and I thought I will put them to better use to explore other temples and structures in the region though my body was crying for a rest with my travel from the US and three days of being in the hot sun. Finally, my spirits won and I planned to explore other temples and structures in the region.

Before I start going into the details, let me bring in one more classification of the structures around here (added to the architectural classification in the previous two parts of the series), especially for the Buddhist structures as I will be classifying the structures below. The structures are of two types, Vihara or where Buddhist monks used to stay and Caitya-griha, which would mean temples with stupas, typical of Buddhist architecture.

Candi Sambisari

It is believed to have been buried under the lava due to the Mount Merapi eruption in 1006 AD. It was discovered by a farmer of Sambisari in 1966 and the temple was given the name of the village itself.

Architecture

Only parts of the temple complex including the main temple and the three Perwara temples are excavated and the rest remains buried under the volcanic soil. One has to climb down 6.5 meters from the ground level into the temple complex and the access to the temple is from the western side.

Ratu Boko

Ratu Boko is named after King Ratu Boko of the Loro Jonggrang folklore (covered in the Part 1 of this series). Originally it was named as Abhaya Vihara, meaning a place of stay for Buddhist monks on a hill. It is believed that Ratu Boko was built by Rakai Panangkaran of the Sailendra Dynasty between 750 AD and 780 AD as per the inscriptions of 792 AD. It is believed that he built it after he relinquished his throne and became a monk. Somewhere down the line, it was converted into a palace with fortifications and women’s quarters and bathing pools.

Architecture

The structural remains of Ratu Boko are split into four parts, center, west, east and southeast.

The southeastern part consists of Pendopo (open veranda) and a public hall and three miniature temples for either Buddhist or Hindus.

The eastern side has a bathing pool and women’s quarters. This part also has Amerta Mantana (well with holy water). The water is used by Hindus for the Tawur Agung ceremony celebrated by Hindus here one day before Nyepi (celebrated by Balinese Hindus as well. After all Balinese Hinduism was influenced by Hinduism of Majapahit Kingdom, which later ruled this region).

The Northern part has two caves and a pool. The caves were probably used as a place for Buddhist monks’ meditation.

Candi Plaosan Complex

Architecture

Candi Lor has two main temples. Both are identical but the North main temple has female figures on bas reliefs while the South main temple has male figures. The temples themselves have three levels, a square podium with a cubic middle layer and a three-step pyramidal roof. The closest resemblance to this architecture is the Arjuna Ratha and Dharma Ratha in Mahabalipuram, India, constructed by the Pallava Dynasty. The three levels reflect the Buddhist cosmology similar to the Hindu Mandala concept. The bottom layer or the foot represent the world of desires (Kamadathu), the body or the middle layer represent the world of forms (Rupadathu) and the top layer or the head represent the world of formlessness (Arpadathu). Each temple inside has two levels and each level has three rooms each. In the two side rooms in the lower level, there are two Bodhisattva statues though it was believed that there were three Bodhisattva statues on each side rooms while the middle room had three bronze Buddha statues for a total of nine statues in each temple. The upper level was made up of wooden structures accessible through wooden stairs but today the wooden structures and the stairs do not exist. The bas reliefs consist of various demigod figures such as Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara statues.

There are a total of 174 smaller structures with 116 shrines and 58 stupas in the Candi Lor complex. Both these temples have two large statues of Dwara balas.

Note: Walk around the rice fields to experience the Javanese country side.

Candi Kalasan

Architecture

The temple’s body is a 12-cornered polygon with the stepped entrances framed by the Kala-Makara on four cardinal points. Apart from that, there are niches containing Bodhisattvas seated on lotus pedestals again framed by Kala-Makara. There are divine characters like Ghandarvas and Apsaras, which adorn the walls. The roof has three sections. The lower section again is a 12-cornered polygon reflecting the body and contains niches and stupas. The niches contain Bodhisattvas seated on the lotus. The middle layer is an eight-shaped Polygon with niches containing the Buddha with Bodhisattvas on the flanks. The top layer is circular in shape with a large stupa on top.

Candi Sari

Candi Sari is few hundred meters from Candi Kalasan. Sari is the Vihara or monastery for the Buddhist monks praying in Candi Kalasan. This temple was built in the same period as Kalasan as per the Sanskrit inscriptions.

Architecture

The architecture is similar to the Candi Plaosan Lor temple, a structure with two storeys and the outer structure is a three-level structure with base, body and roof reflecting Buddhist cosmology (see above under Candi Plaosan). The upper storey, with three rooms, was made of wooden structures with wooden stairs extending from lower storey to upper storey. The lower storey had statues for the monks to pray.  Today there are no statues but the frames of Batara Kala indicate the presence of statues once upon a time. The outer wall is covered with niches, bas reliefs of Bodhisattvas, mythical benevolent creatures of Kinnaras/Kinnaris for a total of 36 statues. The statues are in an elegant dance form.

Conclusion

There are interesting places like Ijo Hindu temple and Dieng Plateau with Pandava temples, which I did not have time to visit. But similar to the Angkor, this region is full of Dharmic structures. It is only fair to say that Hinduism survived because of the influence of this region and the Hindu Majapahit Kingdom, which ruled this place before being defeated by Islamic forces in the 16th century. Some of the defeated inhabitants of the Majapahit Kingdom moved to Eastern Java and settled there. Today they form the ethnic group of 300,000 Tenggerese who practice Hinduism and pray at Mount Bromo (which I was fortunate to visit as part of this trip). And more importantly, one of the priests of the Kingdom, Dang Hyang Nirartha, moved to Bali and established the Shivaite Hinduism practiced in that island today.

I flew into Yogyakarta international airport as it is better connected domestically and internationally. Do note that the local airlines do not take foreign credit cards. So you can’t book tickets online. Just go to their local office to book the local flights. The price from what I noticed remains the same whether you book two months in advance or one day in advance. It is around $35-$40 one way to different destinations. I went to the Denpasar office in Bali – all the local airlines’ desks are in the airport and seated next to each other. Also note that they accept only Indonesian Rupiah and not USD or other foreign currencies.

Prambanan is situated 20 minutes from the Jogjakarta or Yogyakarta international airport. It costs around 70,000 Indonesian Rupiah (conversion rate is roughly 13,000 Rupiah to 1 USD at the time of writing this article) in taxi from the airport to Prambanan.

Where did I stay?

I stayed at Poeri Devata resort, which I happened to book for roughly $38 per night. I had a pleasant experience due to the friendly staffs. The hotel is situated on the backside of the Prambanan complex and provides a view of Prambanan temples. The hotel provides a free ride to the Prambanan temple compound entrance. The other option is to stay in Yogyakarta but I recommend staying in Prambanan as there is easy access to other archaeological complexes like Ratu Boko palace, Candi Sambisari, Candi Plaosan, Candi Kalasan, Candi Sari and one can visit these sites by motorcycle, which you can rent from the hotel at 10,000 rupiahs per hour (roughly $1 USD). Do note you will need an international riding permit.