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Kalasan Temple
Kalasan, also known as
Candi Kalibening, is an
8th-century Buddhist temple in
Indonesia. It is located 13 km east of
Yogyakarta on the way to
Prambanan temple, on the south side of the main road 'Jalan
Solo' between Yogyakarta and
Surakarta. Administratively, it is located in the Kalasan
District of
Sleman Regency.
According to the
Kalasan inscription dated 778 AD, written in Sanskrit using Pranagari script, the temple was erected by the will of
Guru Sang
Raja Sailendravamçatilaka (the
Jewel of
Sailendra family) who succeeded to persuade
Maharaja Tejapurnapana Panangkaran (in other part of the inscription also called as Kariyana Panangkaran) to construct Tarabhavanam, a holy building for the goddess (boddhisattvadevi)
Tara.
Also to build a vihara (monastery) for buddhist monks from Sailendra family's realm. Panangkaran awarded the Kalaça village to sangha (buddhist monastic community). According to the date of this inscription,
Kalasan temple is the oldest among temples built in the
Prambanan Plain.
Despite being renovated and partially rebuilt during the
Dutch colonial era, the temple currently is in poor condition. Compared to other temples nearby such as Prambanan,
Sewu, and
Sambisari the temple is not well maintained.
The temple stands on square 14.
20 meters sub-basement. The temple plan is cross-shaped 12 corners polygon. Each of four cardinal points have stairs and gates adorned with Kala-Makara and also have rooms measured 3,5 square meters. No statue is found in the smaller room facing north, west, and south; but the lotus pedestals suggested that the rooms once contains statues of bodhisattvas. The temple is richly decorated with buddhist figures such as bodhisattva and gana. The
Kala Face above the southern door has been photographed and used by a number of foreign academics in their books to give an idea of the artistry in stone by
Central Javanese artists of a millennia ago. Niches where the statues would have been placed are found inside and outside the temple. The niches adorned outer wall intricately carved with Kala, gods and divinities in scene of svargaloka, celestial palace abode of gods, apsaras, and gandharvas.
The roof of the temple is designed in three sections. The lower one are still according to the polygonal shape of the body and contains small niches with statues of boddhisatvas seated on lotus. Each of this niches is crowned with stupas.
The middle part of the roof is in octagonal (eight sided) shape. Each of this eight sides adorned with niches contains statue of a
Dhyani Buddha flanked by two standing boddhisatvas
. The top part of the roof is almost circular and also have 8 niches crowned with single large dagoba. The octagonal aspect of the structure has led to speculation of non-buddhist elements in the temple, similar to some interpretations of the early
Borobudur structure.
The temple is facing east, with eastern room also served as access to main central room
. In the larger main room there is lotus pedestal and throne carved with makara, lion, and elephant figure, similar to the
Buddha Vairocana throne founds in
Mendut temple. According to the Kalasan inscription, the temple once houses the large (probably reaching
4 meters tall) statue of the Boddhisattvadevi Tara. By the design of the throne, most probably the statue of the goddess was in seated position and made from bronze. Now the statue is missing, probably the same fate as bronze
Buddha statue in Sewu temple, being looted for scrap metal over centuries.
On the outer wall of the temple found the traces of plaster called vajralepa (lit: diamond plaster). The same substance also founds in nearby
Sari temple. The white-yellowish plaster was applied to protect the temple wall, but now the plaster has worn off.
The temple is located on archaeologically rich Prambanan plain. Just a few hundred meters north east from Kalasan temple is located Sari temple.
Candi Sari most probably was the monastery mentioned in Kalasan inscription. Further east lies the Prambanan complex, Sewu temple, and
Plaosan temple.
- published: 01 Apr 2015
- views: 116