Plaosan Temple – Yogyakarta Indonesia

Indonesia is a country with an abundance of different cultures accentuating each region it represents. When it comes to its nature, Indonesia is absolutely on the top of the game. But Indonesia is also rich of Historical monuments from centuries ago. It is a good thing that the people and the local government are working hand to hand to preserve this historical sites as their identity which they are very proud of. Now they become a site for studies and also for domestic and international tourist destination.

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One of those popular ancient historical site is Plaosan Temple, which is one of the remaining buddhist temple. It is located in Prambanan Village, Klaten, Yogyakarta which you can access a little bit more to the north side from the famous temple Prambanan. The surrounding of the temple is full of beautiful green rice field accompanied by the corn field of the locals. The most astonishing fact is that it was built in the 9th century by by Sri Kahulunnan under the rule of Mataram Kingdom. This temple is called The Temple of Love by the locals, since the histrocial story behind it was about the stroy of Budhist Princess and Hindu Prince union. But it is often symbolizes the union of love regardless of any religion. Since it is the result of cultural integration from buddhist and hindu, the architecture stands out among the other temples in Indonesia.

Before you reach the entrance gate of this temple, you willl be able to meet an ogre statue named dwarapala as the guard of this temple. This temple is also called the twin temple because this temple is being divided by the south part and the north part which look almost completely similar. If you go to the center of the place, you will be able to see that there are monument which was built for the buddhist monks to live as it is an ancient monastery. Most of the gate dividing the outside and inside of the temple has this statue of mouth gaping monster called Kala. based on the local legends and myth, the spirit of Kala would eat the heart of those who did bad deed around the temple. If you take a look to what is inside the temple, you will be able see the statues of the buddhist seated as a symbol of the people who had achieved the enlightment.

Plaosan Temple also divides by two representing the prince and the princess. There is a depiction of the prince sitting cross-legged and the princess scultped standing surrounded by books and a vase. If you look around more, you will be able to see more of the historical story which are depicted on all over the walls. If you aim to go this temple is to take some good shots of the temple, you can try going as the sun is about to set so you can get the silhouette of the temple which is absolutely stunning. But if you are aiming to study more about this place, you can always find a local guide to help you with all of your questions.