Sambisari temple description and photos - Indonesia: Java Island (Topic)

Sambisari temple description and photos - Indonesia: Java Island. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Sambisari temple.

Photo and description

The Sambisari Temple is a Hindu temple located 8 km east of Yogyakarta, near the Adisucipto International Airport. The temple was hidden under the ground at a depth of 5 meters; during excavations, only part of the temple was excavated.

The temple was discovered by chance, when in July 1966 a farmer was working the land, and his hoe hit a carved stone, which turned out to be part of the buried ruins of the temple. Excavation and restoration work began, which was completed only in March 1987. It is believed that the temple was buried under a layer of ash during the eruption of Mount Merapi.

Perhaps the discovery of the Sambisari Temple was one of the most exciting archaeological finds in Yogyakarta, as the discovery made one wonder whether are there other ancient temples buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Merapi.

Based on the architectural style and ornaments of the building, as well as the Hindu statues around the walls of the temple and the linga-yoni (a vertically placed cylinder with a rounded top, which symbolizes the indivisible unity of the male and female principles), historians have come to the conclusion that the Sambisari temple is a Shivaite temple that was built around the first or second decade of the 9th century. This historical conclusion was further supported by the fact that during the excavations a golden plate with engraved symbols was found, which were used in writing at the beginning of the 9th century on the territory of ancient Java. More recently, excavations were again carried out, during which the walls surrounding the temple were discovered. Only part of the walls was excavated, the rest are still underground.

The Sambisari Temple was surrounded by white brick walls. The temple complex consists of a main temple and three smaller temples that line up in front of the main temple. The walls of the temple were decorated with statues of gods.

We also recommend reading Borisoglebskaya (Kolozhskaya) church description and photos - Belarus: Grodno

Topic: Sambisari temple description and photos - Indonesia: Java Island.