Sewu Temple

INDONESIA, Central Java, Prambanan

Sewu means Thousand, but the temple was originally called Manjusrigrha (House of Manjusri). Consisting of 249 buildings, it is the second largest Buddhist site in Indonesia. The grand scale of this temple complex suggests that Sewu Temple was a royal Buddhist temple. According to an inscription, the temple was completed in 792 in veneration of Manjusri Bodhisattva. As of the present day, most of the buildings have collapsed, and only the main shrine and some of the ancillary shrines have been restored.
The temple complex is laid out in the form of a mandala with the large main shrine at the center. It is surrounded by 240 ancillary shrines arranged in four rectangular concentric rows. Between the second and third rows there are eight intermediate shrines, two at each cardinal point facing each other. The complex has four entrances, each of which is guarded by a pair of huge warriors.
The east-facing main shrine is built on a polygon plan with 20 corners. It is constructed with andesite stone and is 30 m high with a side length of 29 m. The shrine consists of three sections: the base in the shape of a Sumeru throne, a rectangular central chamber located at the middle, and the roof rising to form an inverted bowl shape stupa topped with a spire. At each of the four cardinal points of the central chamber there is a prominent portico with its own chamber, stairs, and entrance. The central chamber can only be reached from the east portico. Two doorways are found in each portico for access to balconies, which connect the four side chambers, allowing devotees to circumambulate the central chamber. The base of the central stupa is surrounded by inverted bowl shape stupas of varying sizes. The roofs of the porticos also have a central bowl shape stupa surrounded by smaller stupas.