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Coordinates: 74438S 1102933E

Sewu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sewu is an eighth century Mahayana Buddhist temple

located 800 meters north of Prambanan in Central Java. Sewu Temple Compound
The word for a Hindu or Buddhist temple in Indonesia is (Manjusrigrha)
"candi." And Candi Sewu is the second largest Buddhist
temple complex in Indonesia; Borobudur is the largest.
Sewu predates nearby "Loro Jonggrang" temple at
Prambanan. Although the complex consists of 249
temples, this Javanese name translates to 'a thousand
temples,' which originated from popular local folklore
(The Legend of Loro Jonggrang). Archaeologists believe
the original name for the temple compound to be
Manjusrigrha.[1]
The Sewu temple compound

Contents
1 History
1.1 Construction
1.2 Rediscovery
1.3 Contemporary events
Location within Java
2 The temple complex
3 The main temple General information
4 See also Architectural style Buddhist candi
5 References
Town or city Klaten Regency, Central Java
6 External links
Country Indonesia
Coordinates 7.7435S 110.4935E

History Completed circa 8th century

Client Sailendra or Mataram
Construction Kingdom

According to the Kelurak inscription (dated from 782 CE) and the
Manjusrigrha inscription (dated from 792 CE),[2]:89 which were
discovered in 1960, the original name of the temple complex was
probably "Manjusri grha" (The House of Manjusri).[1] Manjusri is
a Bodhisattva from Mahayana Buddhist teachings that symbolizes
the "gentle glory" of transcendent wisdom (Sanskrit: praj). Sewu
Temple was built by the end of eighth century at the end of Rakai
Panangkaran's reign and was completed during the reign of his
successor, King Indra. Rakai Panangkaran (746780 CE) was well
known as a devoted Mahayana Buddhist king who ruled the Medang
Kelurak inscription
Mataram Kingdom.

The Manjusrigrha temple was the largest Buddhist temple in the

Prambanan Plain region, predating the nearby Prambanan Shivaist temple by over 70 years and the
Borobudur by about 37 years. Located in the heart of Mataram, the temple served as the royal Buddhist
temple of the kingdom. Stately religious ceremonies were held here regularly. The Manjusrigrha inscription

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(792) praises the perfect beauty of the prasada (tower) of this temple compound. The Bubrah temple,
located several hundred meters south, and the Gana temple, located east of the Sewu temple, probably
served as guardian temples for the Manjusrigrha complex, guarding the four cardinal directions around the
Sewu temple. The ruins of the Lor temple to the north of Sewu and the Kulon temple on the western side are
both in poor condition; only a few stones remain on those sites. Prior to the construction of Borobudur and
Prambanan, Sewu likely served as the kingdom's main temple. The temples are arranged in the mandala
layout, which symbolizes the universe in Buddhist cosmology.

Sewu temple was probably expanded and completed during the rule of Rakai Pikatan, a prince who married
a Buddhist princess from the Sailendra dynasty, Pramodhawardhani. Most of his subjects retained their old
religions after the court returned to favour Hinduism. The proximity of the Sewu temple to Prambanan, a
Hindu Temple, suggests that the Hindu and Buddhist communities lived in harmony during the era in which
the temples were built. And the scale of the temple complex suggests that Candi Sewu was a royal Buddhist
temple that served as an important religious site. The temple is located on the Prambanan Plain, between the
southeastern slopes of the Merapi volcano and the Sewu mountain range in the south, near the present
border of Yogyakarta province and Klaten Regency in central Java. The plain has many archaeological sites
scattered only a few miles apart, which suggests that this area served as an important religious, political, and
urban center.

Rediscovery

Although buried deep beneath the volcanic debris around Mount

Merapi, the temple ruins were not completely forgotten by the local
Javanese inhabitants. However, the origins of the temple were a
mystery. Over the centuries, tales and legends infused with myths of
giants and a cursed princess were recounted by villagers. Prambanan
and Sewu were purport to be of supernatural origin, and in the
legend of Loro Jonggrang they were said to have been created by a
multitude of demons under the order of Bandung Bondowoso. Such
tales are most likely the reason the temples were preserved through
the centuries prior to the Java War (18251830). The local villagers
A lithograph of Tjandi Sewoe ruins
dared not remove any of the temple stones, believing the ruins to be
near Prambanan, circa 1859
haunted by supernatural beings.

The Sewu and Prambanan temples attracted international attention in the early 19th century during the
colonial Dutch East Indies era. In 1807 the first lithograph of Candi Sewu's main temple and Perwara temple
was created by H.C. Cornelius. And in 1817, during Britain's short-lived rule of the Dutch East Indies, Sir
Thomas Stamford Raffles included Cornelius' image of Candi Sewu in his book The History of Java.
Although Sir Thomas subsequently commissioned a full survey of the ruins, they remained neglected for
decades. In 1825 Auguste Payen created a series of Candi Sewu images.

During the Java War (18251830) some of the temple stones were carted away and used in fortifications. In
the years that followed the temples suffered from looting. Many of the Buddha statues were decapitated and
the heads stolen. Some Dutch colonists stole sculptures and used them as garden ornaments, and native
villagers used the foundation stones as construction material. Some of the temple's best preserved
bas-reliefs, Buddha's head, and some ornaments were carried away from the site and ended up in museums
and private collections abroad.

In 1867 Van Kinsbergen photographed the ruins of Candi Sewu after an earthquake had caused the dome in
main temple to collapse. In 1885 J. W. Ijzerman, revising some plans of the temple complex made earlier by
Cornelius, made notes regarding the temple's condition. He noted that several Buddha heads were missing.
By 1978 none of the Buddha heads had survived, all of them having been looted from the site completely.[3]

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In 1901 a new set of photographs was taken, sponsored by Leydie

Melville. In 1908 Van Erp initiated the clearing and reconstruction of
the main temple, and in 1915 H. Maclaine Pont drew the
reconstruction of a temples of the second row. It was de Haan who
reconstructed the Perwara temples with the aid of Van Kinsbergen's
photographs. Subsequently, the temple became a subject of study
among archaeologists such as W.F. Stutterheim and J. Krom in 1923.
In 1950 J.G. de Casparis also studied the temple. Most of the
archaeologists concurred that the temple was built in the first half of
Sewu main temple before ninth century. However, in 1960 an inscription discovered in Perwara
reconstruction temple number 202 dated the year 792, meaning that the temple was
constructed earlier, in late eighth century. Later in 1981, Jacques
Dumaray conducted a thorough research of the temple.[3]

Contemporary events

Since the early 20th century the temple has been slowly and carefully reconstructed, yet it has not been
completely restored. There are hundreds of temple ruins, and many stones are missing. The main temple
reconstruction and two of the apit temples on the east side were completed in 1993 and inaugurated by
President Soeharto on 20 February 1993.

The temple was severely damaged during the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. The structural damage was
significant, and the central temple suffered the worst. Large pieces of debris were scattered about on the
grounds, and cracks between stone blocks were detected. To prevent the central temple from collapsing,
metal frame structures were erected on the four corners and attached to support the main temple. Although
some weeks later in 2006 the site was reopened for visitors, the main temple remained closed for safety
reasons. Today the metal frame has been removed, and visitors may visit and enter the main temple.

The Sewu Temple often hosts the annual Vesak ceremony.

The temple complex

The Sewu temple complex is the largest Buddhist compound in
the Prambanan area, with rectangular grounds that measure 185
meters north-south and 165 meters east-west. There is an
entrance on all four cardinal points, but the main entrance is
located on the east side. Each of the entrances is guarded by
twin Dvarapala statues. These large guardian statues have been
better preserved, and replicas can be found at Jogja Kraton.
There are 249 buildings in the complex are arranged in a
Aerial view of Sewu temple complex
Mandala pattern around the main central hall. This
shows Mandala pattern configuration expresses the Mahayana Buddhist view of the
universe. There are 240 smaller temples, called Perwara
(guardian) temples, with similar designs that are arranged in four rectangular concentric rows. Two outer
rows are arranged closer and consist of 168 smaller temples, while two inner rows, arranged at certain
intervals, consist of 72 temples. The 249 temples located in the second precinct were all made with a square
frame but varied by different statues and orientations. Many of the statues are now gone, and the
arrangements on the current site are not in the original orientations. The statues are comparable to the statues
of Borobudur and were likely made of bronze.[4]

Along the north-south and east-west central axis at a distance of about 200 meters, between the second and
third rows of the smaller temple are located the apit (flank) temples, a couple on each cardinal point facing

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each other. The apit temples are the second largest temples after the
main temple, however only eastern twin apit and a northern one still
remain today. These smaller temples encompass a larger sanctuary
that has been heavily looted.

Behind the fourth row of smaller temples lies the stone paved
courtyard where the main temple once stood on the center.

The main temple The images of Boddhisattva on wall

of perwara temple
The main temple measures
29 meters in diameter and soars up to 30 meters high. The ground
plan of the main temple is a cross-shaped 20-sided polygon. On each
of the four cardinal points of the main temple, there are four
structures projected outward, each with its own stairs, entrances and
rooms, crowned with stupas, which form a cross-like layout. All of
the structures are made from andesite stones.

The main temple has five rooms, one large garbhagriha in the center
and four smaller rooms in each cardinal direction. These four rooms
Candi Sewu main temple at left and are all connected with outer corner galleries with balustrades
one of apit temple at right bordered by rows of small stupas. From the findings during the
reconstruction process, it was suggested that the original design of
central sanctuary only consisted of a central roomed temple surrounded by four additional structures with
open portals. Doorways were added later. The portals were narrowed to create door frames on which to
attach wooden doors. Some of the holes to attach doors are still visible. The doorways join the temples
together into one main building with five rooms.

The central chamber can be reached from the eastern room. The central chamber is larger than other rooms
with a higher ceiling and a taller roof. Now all the five rooms are empty.[5] However the lotus carved stone
pedestal in the central chamber suggests that the temple once contained a large bronze Buddhist statue
(possible the bronze statue of Manjusri), probably reaching a height of four meters. The statue is missing,
probably looted for scrap metal over the centuries. However another theory suggested that the main statue
was probably constructed from several stone blocks coated with vajralepa plaster.

See also
Candi of Indonesia

References
1. Joachim Schliesinger (2016). Origin of Man in Southeast Asia 5: Part 2; Hindu Temples in the Malay Peninsula
and Archipelago. Booksmango. p. 7. ISBN 9781633237308.
2. Coeds, George (1968). Walter F. Vella, ed. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing.
University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
3. Dumaray, Jacques (2007). Candi Sewu and Buddhist architecture of Central Java (in Indonesian). Jakarta:
Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia. ISBN 978-979-91-0088-7. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
4. Dumaray, Jacques (1978). edited and translated by Michael Smithies, "Borobudur", pp. 4647. Oxford
University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-580379-2.
5. Soetarno, Drs. R. second edition (2002). "Aneka Candi Kuno di Indonesia" (Ancient Temples in Indonesia), pp.
5354. Dahara Prize. Semarang. ISBN 979-501-098-0.

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External links
Official site (http://www.borobudurpark.co.id/en-sewu.html)
Wikimedia Commons has
"Mandala Suci Manjusrigrha" (Sacred Mandala of media related to Candi
Manjusrigrha), a short documentary on Sewu Temple (in Sewu.
Indonesian) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1pItte9fwg)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sewu&oldid=773372590"

Categories: Buddhist temples in Indonesia Archaeological sites in Indonesia Shailendra dynasty

Prambanan Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Central Java Places of worship in Central Java

This page was last edited on 2 April 2017, at 00:55.

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