Buddhist Temple in Central Java

Buddhism is a family of beliefs from India. The number of Buddhists in the world ranges from 230 to 500 million or more, mostly lived at Asia. Buddhism may have spread only slowly in India until the time of the Mauryan emperor Aœoka the Great. Then, Buddhism spread to China, Korea, Sri Lanka, Burma, Indo China and Indonesia. Buddhism came to Indonesia a few hundred years after Hinduism (at 6th century CE). Thats why, Buddhism is the second oldest religion in Indonesia. Buddhism flourished in Sumatera, Java and Bali. Central Java has some notable Buddhist Temple, such as Borobudur Temple, Mendut Temple, Pawon Temple, Plaosan Temple, etc.

Borobudur is one of the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. The overall height was 42 meters, but was only 34.5 meters after restoration, and had the dimension of 123 x 123 meters (15,129 square meters). Borobudur also has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Borobudur temple was built with an overwhelming mass of images and galleries on its walls depicting the activities of Gods. Borobudur temple is located at Magelang, Central Java (approximately 40 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta). Borobudur was built by King Samaratungga from Sailendra dinasty, while Gunadharma was the architect of this temple.

Borobudur temple was built in the ninth century (3 centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe). During the restoration in the early 1900s, it was discovered that three Buddhist temples in the region, Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut, are lined in one straight line position.

Mendut temple is located near Borobudur temple (approximately 3 kilometers eastward from Borobudur Temple). This temple built by King Indra of Sailendra dynasty. Construction started in 750 as a Hindu temple. The transformation into a Buddhist sanctuary (by King Indra) took place in around AD 800. Its architecture is square, and having an entrance on its steps. The ceiling of the cell has a pyramidal structure. Mendut is dedicated to Buddha Çakyamuni with a pantheon of Bodhisattva. While, Borobudur is dedicated to Dhyani Buddha's. Mendut is used only for ceremonies. Today, there are a vihara near this temple.

Pawon temple is located near Borobudur and Mendut temple (approximately one and half kilometers westward from Mendut Temple). Pawon is located at the exact center of a straight line active of Borobudur with Mendut. Pawon Temple is not a grave or a place for ceremonies but as a place to keep King Indra's weapon namely Vajranala. This temple was built with volcanic stones and contains a Buddha statue. Architecturally it is a blend of old Javanese Hindu and Indian art.

Plaosan temple also called as twin temple in Jogjakarta. This temple was built by Rakai Pikatan for his wife, Pramudyawardhani of Sailendra dinasty. Rakai Pikatan was Hindus believers, while Pramudyawardhani was Buddhist. Thats why, in this temple both Hindu and Buddhist religious symbols and ornamentation exist side by side. Plaosan combines the function of both temple and monastery. This temple consists of two main temples standing side by side, each having terrace bases.