The Beauty of Labengki Island in Sulawesi

Indonesia is a beautiful country and rich in natural beauty, cultures and historical heritages. The majority of Indonesian people are Muslim but in certain areas or on some islands, the majority of Indonesians are Hindus and Christians. The majority of Hindus in Indonesia are on the island of Bali and the majority of Christians are in Eastern Indonesia, some areas on Kalimantan Island, Mentawai Island, in West Sumatra, in Central Sulawesi Province, in North Sulawesi Province, Gorontalo Province and Medan North Sumatra. Indonesia has an official national motto " Bhinneka Tunggal Ika translated as "Unity in Diversity, even though tribes, religion, and skin are different but Indonesian people are one in the difference. In Indonesia there are 1,340 different tribes and the largest ethnic groups are Javanese and Indonesia also has 17,504 islands.

Did you know that Indonesia has many Hindu and Buddhist temples? you must be wondering right? Indonesia is a country with the largest muslim majority population in the world but Indonesia has a lot of Hindu and Buddhist temples which are spread in areas where the majority of the population is Muslim. The answer is because, in the era of Indonesia Kingdoms, the majority of Indonesian people are Hindu and Buddhist. 

There are two of the biggest temples in Indonesia and have been on the list of 7 wonders of the world, the two biggest temples are Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple. In this article, Neng Infoo not only shares information about the 2 biggest temples in Indonesia, but Neng Infoo also shares 3 other temples, there are still so many Hindu and Buddhist temples in Indonesia but here Neng Infoo discusses only 5 temples.

Temples in Indonesia

1. Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple is one of the largest temples in Indonesia, and one of the most beautiful temples in Southeast Asia. The location of this temple at Jl. Raya Solo - Yogyakarta No.16, Yogyakarta Province. Prambanan Temple was built in the 9th century by Rakai Pikatan. Rakai Pikatan was the 6th king of the Medang Kingdom of Central Java in 840 - 856. In Prambanan Temple there is the main temple, the name is SIwa Temple and has a height of 47 meters. 

In Prambanan Temple there are 240 temples, these temples are :

3 Trimurti Temple: Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma temples

3 Wahana Temples: Nandi, Garuda and Angsa temples

2 Apit Temples: located between the line of Trimurti temples and Wahana temples on the north and south sides

4 Kelir Temples: located in 4 directions of the compass just behind the entrance of the inner courtyard or core zone

4 Patok Temples: located in 4 corners of the inner courtyard or core zone

224 Perwara Temples: arranged in 4 concentric rows with the number of temples from the deepest to the outer rows: 44, 52, 60 and 68

Originally there were 240 large and small temples in the Prambanan Temple complex. But now only 18 temples are remaining, namely 8 main temples and 8 small temples in the core zone and 2 ancillary temples. Many Perwara temples have not been restored, out of 224 Perwara temples only 2 have been restored, all that remains is a pile of scattered stones. The Prambanan temple complex consists of three zones, the first is the outer zone, the second is the middle zone consisting of hundreds of temples, the third is the inner zone which is the holiest zone where 8 main temples and 8 small temples.

2. Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and one of the biggest Buddhist monuments in the world, located in Magelang City, Central Java, Indonesia. This temple was made like a stupa and was built by Mahayana Buddhists around 800 AD during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty. 

Borobudur temple has 6 terraces, having 3 yards on it, on the walls decorated with 2,672 relief panels and originally there are 504 Buddha statues. And Borobudur temple has the largest main Stupa, located in the middle, surrounded by 3 circular rows of 72 perforated stupas and inside there is a statue of Buddha sitting.

3. Plaosan Temple

Plaosan Temple located in Dukuh Plaosan, Klaten Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. This temple is located about one kilometer to the northeast of Sewu Temple of Prambanan Temple. The peak of the stupas, Buddha statues, and ancillary temples in the form of a stupa indicates that these temples are Buddhist temples. This temple was built in the 9th century by King Rakai Pikatan and Sri Kahulunan in the Medang Kingdom, or also known as the Ancient Mataram Kingdom.

4. Sewu Temple

Sewu Temple is a one of beautiful Buddhist temple located in Dukuh Bener, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java Province. The location of Sewu Temple is close to Prambanan Temple, only 800 meters to the north of Prambanan Temple.

Sewu Temple was built in the 8th century AD at the end of Rakai Panangkaran's reign. Rakai Panangkaran (746-784) was the most famous king of the ancient Mataram kingdom. Sewu Temple is older than Borobudur and Prambanan Temples. Even though it originally has 249 temples, this temple is called "Sewu" which means 1.000 in Javanese.

5. Ijo Temple

Ijo Temple is a Hindu temple located in Dukuh Groyokan, Sambirejo Village, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia. This temple is called "Ijo" because it is located on the hill Gumuk Ijo. In the west of the ijo temple, there are a natural beauty, rice fields, and landscapes. Many tourists visit this temple to see the sunset from the temple courtyard because located this temple on a hill with views of the City of Yogyakarta and the Adisucipto Airport Runway. This temple was built in the 10th century until the 11th century AD, during the Medang Kingdom era in the Mataram period.