Sewu Temple, The Oldest Temple in Central Java

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There are so many story about Buddhist in Indonesia. One of the cities that is the most famous footprint of Buddhist civilization in Indonesia is the city of Yogyakarta. This city is full of specialties and civilizations, until now we don't know the cause. But what is clear is, if you really want to see something unique and heart-stirring, go to Yogyakarta.

There are many interesting places that you can visit. This city is so mystical, it can bewitch anyone to feel amazed by this city. Although it is often said to be a student city, because there are many leading universities in this city. But, one thing I know is that this city has an interesting story with history and is related to religion and culture.

One of the religions that is in the spotlight in the city of Yogyakarta is Buddhism, shown by the many remains of temple buildings that are even used today as places of religious celebration and prayer. So, Yogyakarta is often the answer. The Prambanan temple complex which is famous for being very large is even the most popular place. But, there is one more temple that I like and is actually no less than Prambanan temple.

Not far from Prambanan Temple, there is one temple that is still a neighbor of Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta. That is Sewu Temple. Famous as the second largest temple in Central Java, it has more than 240 buildings, 1 main temple building, 8 corner temples and all of them are arranged to form something unusual, a mandala plan as a manifestation of the universe in Mahayana Buddhist cosmology.

The temple is also able to captivate anyone who sees it, where the silhouette in the opposite direction from the sun alone makes it look very majestic with a building that has existed since 8th century. I think we have been reincarnated dozens of times and this building still exists, in the same form, although it seems that the Yogyakarta earthquake slightly destroyed several small buildings around the temple.

The terrible earthquake was indeed able to destroy some of the small temples surrounding the main building, however, the main building and corner temples still stand firmly in the Sewu Temple area. Even the most iconic thing about this temple is the entrance which is greeted by 2 statues facing each other holding swords as proof of protection for this temple.

We can see how the temple looks very large and is composed of several hard and strong rocks that are extraordinary. Sewu Temple is also one of the temples that has the most statue inscriptions in Central Java. Some of the temples are being restored and maintained, although there are some woods used to hold the stones so that they do not shake and fall.

In fact, this Sewu Temple is the oldest temple in the city of Yogyakarta, even before the Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple. However, because its size is smaller, it is not popular among the public regarding this Sewu Temple. This temple is called 'sewu' which means a thousand (many) in Javanese, because this temple also has more than 200 small buildings so that it looks very much.

Sewu Temple is now worth visiting, although it was closed for security reasons. The ruins from the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006 had made this temple closed for security reasons, especially considering that this building was very old and had the potential to collapse and could injure many people. However, the beauty of Sewu Temple can now be enjoyed and you can learn a lot about Buddhist history here.

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