5 Temple Attractions Near Borobudur in Central Java

Temple attractions near Borobudur Temple for religious tour. Central Java is known as a province in Indonesia with thousands of temples because it has hundreds of cultural heritages in the form of temples spread across several districts / cities in Central Java. One of the temples that is very popular and a tourist attraction in Central Java is Borobudur Temple in Magelang Regency. This Buddhist temple not only has stunning architecture that makes it interesting to visit, but also has high historical value. While in Magelang, you can also explore other temples that are also thousands of years old and located not far from Borobudur Temple.

 

Mendut Temple

 

mendut temple near borobudur

Credit: wikipedia.org

 

While passing through the main route of Jogja – Borobudur, precisely on Jalan Mayor Kusen, you will find a temple called Mendut Temple. The age of this Buddhist-style temple is estimated to be older than Borobudur Temple. An inscription from Karang Tengah dating back to 824 AD mentions that King Indra of the Syailendra dynasty built this shrine. A Dutch archaeologist, J.G. de Casparis, attributed the shrine to Mendut Temple. The temple has a square-shaped basic plan with a size of 10 x 10 meters and a building height of 13.3 meters. On the walls of the temple, there are reliefs containing stories based on Buddhist history. Some relief decorations use animal images as characters, such as Brahmin and Crab, Swan and Turtle, Two parrots and others.

 

Pawon Temple

 

pawon temple not to far from borobudur

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Pawon Temple is located only 1.75 km from Borobudur Temple, precisely in Wanurejo Village, Borobudur District. This building is one of the Buddhist temples that is estimated to have been built by the Shilendra Dynasty between the VIII – IX centuries AD, but the exact construction time is unknown because there is no strong enough data. Pawon Temple was the repository of the ashes of King Indra (782 – 812 AD), the father of King Samarrattungga of the Syailendra Dynasty. In the room in the body of Pawon Temple, it is thought that there was originally a Bodhhisattva statue, as a form of respect for King Indra who was considered to have reached the state of a Bodhisattva. Experts argue that Pawon Temple is the gateway to Borobudur Temple, as a place for people to cleanse their bodies and minds from defilement.

 

Umbul Temple

 

umbul temple near the borobudur

Credit: wikipedia.org

 

Different from other temples in general, Umbul Temple is a hot spring site from the kingdom of the Syailendra dynasty which is now a tourist attraction in Magelang Regency. Located in Kartoharjo Village, Grabag District, Umbul Temple is about 9.6 km from Borobudur Temple towards Semarang City. The Umbul Temple site has two rectangular-shaped pools with different sizes and most of the pool walls are made of andesite stone. A source of warm water comes out from the bottom of the pool or ‘mumbul’ in Javanese. Umbul Temple can be an alternative for those who want to relax by soaking in hot water like a royal family in a beautiful rural setting.

 

Candi Selogriyo

 

selogriyo temple attractions in central java

Credit: wikipedia.org

 

If you like trekking, then visiting Selogriyo Temple can be an option. This temple is located in the forest, Windusari District, about 28 km from Borobudur Temple. To reach this location, you can use a two-wheeled motorized vehicle or walk approximately 30 minutes from the gate. Because it is located in the middle of the forest, you will see a natural panorama in the form of hills and rice fields that are very mesmerizing along the way. The Selogriyo Temple attraction only has one temple, in contrast to temple attractions in general which are in the form of complexes, or areas, such as Prambanan Temple or Borobudur Temple.

 

Candi Ngawen

 

ngawen temple attraction near borobudur

Credit: wikipedia.org

 

The last temple attractions near Borobudur is Ngawen Temple. It is a temple complex that has five temples, namely temples I, II, III, IV, and V. The five temples stand in a row, each four meters apart, facing east. The five temples stand in parallel rows, each four meters apart, facing east. In this temple complex, there are five temples, each dedicated to five Dhyani Buddhas. Ngawen Temple has the specialty of four lion statues placed at the foot corner of the temple, which are never found in other temples in Indonesia. Temples II and IV have the same size and construction form. However, of the five temples today, only temple II was restored in 1927, while the other four only have legs left. When discovered in 1920, the temple complex also found two Buddha statues that were not intact, namely the Dhyani Buddha Ratnasambhawa statue near temple II and the Dhyani Buddha Amithaba statue near temple IV. Based on the discovery of the statues, the presence of the stupa, and the shape of the terrace, it can be concluded that Ngawen Temple is Buddhist in style. In addition, the architectural style of the temple shows the characteristics of buildings from the 8th or 9th century. It is estimated that Ngawen Temple was built by the Syailendra Dynasty that ruled the Ancient Mataram Kingdom.

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