Mendut Temple in Central Java, Indonesia

Do you have plans to enjoy a tour of Borobudur Temple? It looks like this beautiful temple, Mendut Temple in Central Java, Indonesia should be on your visit list, because the location of the two temples is close to each other with a distance of about three kilometers (km).

Known as a Buddhist temple, Mendut Temple is surrounded by several mountains, including Mount Merapi, Mount Merbabu, Mount Sindoro, and Mount Sumbing.

Mendut Temple (Photo: javatravel)

According to the page of the Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Wednesday (27/9/2023) as conveyed in Kompas.com, in 1836 this temple was found buried in soil and covered with shrubs.  

Mendut Temple is estimated to be older or more contemporary than Borobudur Temple and is estimated to have been built during the reign of King Indra of the Syailendra Dynasty.  

Made of andesite stone and brick, this temple has reliefs containing Buddhist teachings. Until now, Mendut Temple is often visited by Buddhists and is the location of Buddhist ceremonies.

This temple is also one of the temples of triad of temples in Magelang consisting of Borobudur Temple, Pawon Temple, and Mendut Temple. The three temples are located in a straight line in the north-south direction.

Mendut Temple is built of bricks with a mixture of andesite stone, so it looks very sturdy.

The shape of Mendut Temple is also considered to have similarities with the temples around the Dieng Temple Complex and Gedong Songo Temple.

Location and Entrance Ticket of Mendut Temple

Mendut Temple is located at Jalan Mayor Kusen, Sumberrejo, Mendut, Mungkid District, Magelang Regency. 

The location of Mendut Temple is very easy to find because it is only about 3 kilometers from Borobudur Temple.

Also, read: Borobudur Temple, an Extraordinary Symbol of the Syailendra Dynasty.

Quoted from Tribun Travel, the entrance ticket price of Mendut Temple starts at IDR 10,500 for adult visitors and starts at IDR 5,500 for child visitors.  

This historical tourist spot is generally crowded on weekends and is often visited by foreign tourists.

Functions of Mendut Temple

Like Borobudur Temple and Pawon Temple, Mendut Temple is also a place of worship for Indonesian and world Buddhists.

Every year ahead of the 2023 Tri Suci Waisak celebration at Borobudur Temple, Mendut Temple becomes a sacred place for blessing water from Umbul Jumprit and natural fire from Mrapen.

(Photo: google maps/heru afrizal)

At Mendut Temple, monks and devotees will also do pradaksina or walk around the temple clockwise three times.

After pradaksina, each sangha will perform puja filial piety in front of the altar. In addition, Mendut Temple is also a historical tourist destination and the object of research by historical experts.

History of Mendut Temple

According to the Perpusnas Indonesia page, although it is not certain when exactly this temple was built, a philologist from the Netherlands, J.G. de Casparis, suspects that Mendut Temple was built by the first king of the Syailendra dynasty in 824 AD.

Casparis' conjecture is based on the contents of the Karangtengah Inscription (824 AD), which mentions that King Indra had made a sacred building called Wenuwana.

From the Karangtengah Inscription, Casparis interprets the term Wenuwana (bamboo forest) as Mendut Temple.

This is the reason for the estimated age of Mendut Temple which is older than the age of Borobudur Temple.

This temple was first discovered back in 1836, where the entire temple building can be found, except for the roof.

Furthermore, in 1897-1904, the Dutch East Indies government made the first restoration effort with satisfactory results although it was far from perfect. At that time, the legs and body of the temple had been successfully reconstructed.

In 1908, Van Erp led the reconstruction and restoration of Mendut Temple, namely by perfecting the shape of the roof, reinstalling stupas, and repairing part of the rooftop. Restoration was halted due to the unavailability of funds but resumed in 1925.

Fill in Reliefs and Statues at Mendut Temple

Reporting from the Perpusnas Indonesia page, this rectangular-shaped temple has a total building height of 26.40 meters and stands on a Batur as high as about 2 meters.

On the surface of the Batur temple, there is a hallway that is wide enough and equipped with a ledge. The foot wall of Mendut Temple is decorated with 31 panels containing various story reliefs, flower sculptures, and beautiful tendrils.

The reliefs (Photo: google maps/Arka Chattopadhyay)

The stairs leading to the hallway located on the west side, it is decorated with several carved pans depicting various stories containing Buddhist teachings.

Then at the entrance to the inner room of the temple body is equipped with a viewer's room decorated with Kuwera reliefs carved on the north wall and Hariti reliefs carved on the south wall.

The body wall of the temple is decorated with reliefs related to the life of Buddha, namely:

1. On the west (front) wall, precisely to the north of the entrance, there is a relief of Sarwaniwaranawiskhambi depicted standing under an umbrella.
2. On the south wall there is a relief of Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara where the Buddha sits on a padmasana in the shade of a kalpataru tree with Goddess Tara kneeling on his right.
3. On the east wall is carved a relief of the Bodhisattva in which the Buddha who is depicted as a four-armed figure is standing on a place that looks like a phallus.
4. On the north side wall is carved a relief depicting Goddess Tara sitting on a padmasana, flanked by two men.

Then in Mendut Temple, there are 3 Buddha statues, namely:

3 Buddha statues (Photo: rumah123.com)

1. Right facing the door is Buddha Sakyamuni, i.e. Buddha is preaching.
2. On the right there is a statue of the Avalokiteswara Bodhisattva facing south, which is Buddha as a helper of man.
3. On the left side of the room there is a Maitreya statue facing north, which is a human liberator Bodhisattva who is sitting with a simhakarnamudra hand posture, similar to a vitarkamudra attitude but his fingers are closed.

The three statues inside Mendut Temple are equipped with 'Prabha" or divine rays around his head.

That's a little information about "Mendut Temple in Central Java, Indonesia". Hopefully, it can be a reference and information for you, who and interested in visiting Indonesia with all its beauty and culture.