Candi Sewu
Candi Sewu 792 dukuh Bener, desa Bugisan, kec Prambanan Started in the 8th C, completed in the 9th C.
The temple is part of a complex of six temples, others are: Candi Lor [destroyed] Candi Kulon, Candi Asu [destroyed], Candi Bubrah, Candi Lumbung.
Central Java knew Tantric Buddhism at the end of the 8th C: the Kelurak inscription of 776 is Tantric in origin, and the area had links with the Pala kingdom of Bengal, where Tantic Buddhism was similarly practised. On this basis, scholars (Pott 1946, 1966) have put forward the theory that Candi Sewu might have been part of a larger complex with Sewu - Bubrah and Lumbung reflecting the trimurti, with Candi Loro Jonggrang reflecting the triratna. This fusion of two religious systems is conform Tantric Buddhism, and was first postulated by Moens in a 1924 study on Javanese Buddhism. His findings were subsequently vindicated by the discovery and reading of the Kelurak inscription close to Candi Lumbung and Bubrah. Part of this inscription reads <he, the Vajra-bearer, the Serene Highness, is Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara. He, who is the Lord, encompassing all dieties, is honoured as Manjuvac>
Walled complex of around 165 x 185m, with entrances in the centre of each wall, guarded by dwarapala. One central temple with 240 subsidiary temples of 10.5m in height arranged around it in squares. Platform roofs that emerge as a single stupa. There are 8 intermediate temples.
The central temple has an entrance hall with seating gods in the niches. These niches previously supported standing gods, and were remodelled in a later refurbishing of this complex.
The complex is based on a Mandala design, a trait of Vajrayana school complexes. Vajrayana learning came to Java in the 8th C, through contacts with the Pala empire.
Candi Sewu is dedicated to Vairocana, who is contained in the shrines. Four types of Boddhisatva are shown in accordance with the compass point they rule: Aksobya in the East, Rathnasambhava in the South, Amithoba in the West, and Amaghasiddhi in the North.
The subsidiary temples are of two types. One type is to be found in Rows I and IV, the other in II- III. Graceful sculpture on the walls.
The main chamber would have had a seated statue with folded legs, approximately 4m in height. It's no longer present, and Bernet Kempers therefore suggests it was made of bronze.
It is very likely that the original composition did not feature the Buddha Vairocana in the main chamber, but featured Manjushri instead to form a mandala known as dharmadhatuvagisvaramandala. This theory is consistent with the mention of a Manjusrigrha in an inscription dated Caka 714 that was found close to the site. The anjalimudra hand position of a small siva statue found in the complex also supports this theory, as the anjalimudra was the prescribed hand position of other gods in the Hindu pantheon such as Brahma, Visnu and mahesvara that would form part of this mandala. To accommodate the Buddha Vairocana, the seat was enlarged (Manjushri is only a boddhisatva).
of the other Hindu statues in this pantheon also support this theory: at the site a small siva statue with the
that o later change the mandala to replace the boddhisatva with a buddha,
First visited by Engelhard in 1802. He assigned Cornelius to clean the complex and draw up a plan. This he did in 1807 (?). Along with photographs made by Van Kinsbergen later these are the only records of the temple before it was struck by an earthquake in 1867. The complex was deeply covered - most of the stairs to the minor temples were not visible. In 1989 the Yogyakarta Archeological Society cleared the central chamber of the main temple, as well as 3/4 of this building. The rest was not cleared for fear of collapse. The trone in the central chamber was studied by Brandes, and he noted the difference with the subsidiary temples as well as the fact that the temple had been rebuilt before. Van Erp carried out some preventive maintenance in 1908, and the excavation proper started in 1915, after a F8,000 budget had been allocated for this purpose. Now the work was done by the Archeological Service. The NW corner of the main building was rebuilt in 1927, and De Haan restored one subsidiary temple in 1928. The crown of this temple was the first one to be restored on Java, and brought home the importance of the roof for the structure.