SAMBISARI Temple

It was September 24, 2011 when I visited this temple at Sambisari Village, Purwomartani Sub-District, Kalasan District, Sleman Regency, 10 kilometer away from Yogyakarta city center. I went there with one of my friend around at 11 am by motorcycle, so that the sun shined so warm. After finding this temple area, I got surprised because the temple was small, and Sambisari temple is 6,5 meters below the surrounding land ! Amazing !After I paid for the ticket, I entered this temple area, and I met the person who knows this temple well. He told me all things about this temple.



Sambisari temple is predicted to be constructed between 812 - 838 AD, possibly under the government of RakaiGarung. The complex of the temple consists of 1 main temple and 3 supporting temples. There are 2 fences surrounding the temple complex, on the fences was totally reconstructed, while the other was only showed a little in the east side of the temple. Still function as borders, there are 8 stand phalluses distributed in each point of direction.

The main temple building is unique since it does not have shoe basement like other temples in Java. At the same time, the foot of the temple functions as the foundation to make the temple even on the ground. The foot part of the temple is left plain, without reliefs or decorations. Various elements most of them are of plants ornaments are found on the body to the outer part of the temple top. The ornaments look like batik motif.
Stepping up the stairs of the entrance of the temple, we will see an ornament of a dragon in the open mouth of makara (the magical animal in Hindu mythology).

The figure of makara in Sambisari is an evolution of the makara form in India that can be in the form of a unification of elephant and fish or a crocodile and curved-tail fish.
The narrow verandah as wide as 1 meter will be found after passing through the last stair of the main temple entrance. Walking around it, you will see 3 cavities with one statue in each of them. In the north part, there is a statue of Durga (the wife of Siva) with 8 hands each of which is holding a weapon. Meanwhile, in the east side, there is Ganesha statue (son of Durga). In the southern side, there is Agastya statue with aksamala on his neck.