The first major Buddhist kingdom in Indonesia was the Kingdom of Sriwijaya, which later became a prominent center for the expansion of Buddhism in Southeast Asia from the 8th to the 12th century. The history of the kingdom was written in the record of a Chinese scholar I-Tsing, who traveled to India through the Indonesian archipelago during the earlier era of the kingdom.
The teachings of Buddhism then spread to the island of Java, which had seen the existence of a Buddhist kingdom of Syailendra in 775 AD, in modern-day Central Java. Although it was increasingly an important hub for Buddhism, the kingdom wasn’t as big as the Kingdom of Sriwijaya. However, the spread of Siddharta Gautama teachings in Java left a legacy of several Buddhist temples we can still visit today, including world’s largest Buddhist monument, Borobudur Temple.
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Buddhist temples can be identified from several traits that distinguish them from their Hindu counterparts. These characteristics can be seen starting from the presence of the stupa at the top of the temple, statues of Buddha, reliefs that tell Buddha's teachings and the form of the storied buildings.
Here are some of the existing temples you can still visit today.
1. Borobudur Temple
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Borobudur Temple (Photo via Shutterstock)
Borobudur temple, located in Magelang, Central Java, is estimated to be built around 800 AD during the Syailendra dynasty of the Kingdom of Mataram. Its walls are decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
The three levels of the Borobudur temple represent the spiritual realm of Buddhist cosmology. The bottom part of Borobudur symbolizes Kamadhatu, a world dominated by kama or "lust". This section is mostly covered by piles of stones allegedly made to strengthen the construction of the temple.
Four terraced stories that form the hallway with relief-decorated walls are called Rupadhatu. The square-shaped floored section consists of four aisles with 1300 reliefs. Rupadhatu is a world that has been able to free itself from the lust, but is still bound by physical limitations.
In contrast to the hallways Rupadhatu —which are rich in relief— the fifth to the seventh floor of Borobudur’s walls have no relief. This level is called Arupadhatu (which means unformed or intangible). This symbolizes the upper realm, in which man is free from all desires and bonds of form and appearance, yet hasn’t reached the nirvana.
Borobudur's reliefs (Photo via Shutterstock)
Borobudur was once hidden and abandoned for centuries, buried under layers of soil and volcanic ash which then overgrown with dense forest and bushes. It was rediscovered during the British and Dutch colonial era.
2. Mendut Temple
Mendut Temple (Photo via Shutterstock)
Mendut Temple, also located in Magelang, was built during the reign of King Indra of the Syailendra Dynasty. As scuplted on Karang Tengah inscription from 824 AD, King Indra built a sacred building called Wenuwana (the forest of bamboo). Dutch archaeologist J.G. De Casparis associated the name with Mendut Temple.
The 26.4-meter historical building has many reliefs telling various stories in Buddhism, such as the story of a brahmin and a crab, a swan and a tortoise and the tale of merchant sons Dharmabuddhi and Dustabuddhi.
3. Lumbung Temple
Lumbung Temple (Photo via Shutterstock)
Lumbung Temple is located near Hindu’s Prambanan Temple Complex in Yogyakarta, next to Bubrah Temple. It’s allegedly built during the 9th century AD, in the era of the ancient Mataram Kingdom. It’s actually a small temple complex—compared to Prambanan—with main temple sitting at the center, surrounded by 16 pieces of smaller temples.
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