KALASAN TEMPLE

KALASAN TEMPLE

Kalasan  or  temple Kalibening ^[1]  is a  temple  that is categorized as a community temple  Buddha  located in the village  Kalasan,  Sleman district, province of  Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The temple has 52 stupas and were on the side of the highway between  Yogyakarta  and   Solo, and about 2 km from the temples of Prambanan.

At first only Kalasan is found on the site area, but once dug deeper then found even more supporters rise building around this temple. Besides Kalasan and buildings - other supporting buildings there are also three small temples outside the main temple building, shaped stupa.

Based on the  inscriptions Kalasan  bertarikh  778  were found not far from this temple mentioned the establishment of a holy building to honor the  Bodhisattva  women,  Tarabhawana  and a  monastery  for the monks. ^{[2] [1]}  rulers who govern the construction of the temple was named  Maharaja Tejapurnapana Panangkaran  (Panangkaran) family dynasty. Then the comparison of manuscripts at the  inscription Kelurak  this figure can be identified by  Dharanindra ^[3]  or with  inscription Nalanda  was the father of  Samaragrawira [4]. So this temple can be evidence of the presence of  Wangsa dynasty, rulers of  Srivijaya  in  Sumatra  on  Java. ^[5]

Pre kalasan inscription lettered in Nagari, speaking  Gaelic  mentions the teachers king Tejapurnapana Panangkaran of Syailaendra family managed to persuade the king to make a building sacred to the goddess Tara along with his monastery for pendera as a gift from the  Sangha.

Professor Dr  Casparis. based inscription Kalasan interpret it, Kalasan built together between Buddhist and Hindu. Meanwhile  Van Rumond, historian of the Dutch  believe that in the same site ever existed other sacred buildings are much older age than Kalasan, according to the results of research done in 1928. The building was berbentu holy temple which covers 45 x 45 meters. This means that the temple had three times improvement. As proof, he says, there is a temple with four corner legs protruding parts.

In the southern part of the temple there are two reliefs Bodhisattva, while the roof is composed of 3 levels. Roof top there are 8 spaces, two triangular roof level 8, while the bottom roof congruent with square-shaped temple which features 20 rooms on each side.

Some Features and Forms of Kalasan [edit  |  edit source]

At Kalasan have a cover layer of the temple which is called Bajralepa, a kind of stucco in fine stone carvings. Detail of the decoration of this Bajralepa which is one of the characteristics Kalasan, which is also found in  Candi Sari.

Plan Kalasan square-shaped building. The roof is octagonal and a top shaped dagoba (stupa). The situation has been severely damaged. Only the southern part that is still intact. Touted, its first chamber has a 6 meter high bronze statue that is now lost. While the three chambers also empty.

Body and roof of the temple is decorated with carvings very beautiful. Composed of recesses, tendrils, statues of Buddha, dagobas-dagobas and statues Gana, which is dwarf potbellied usually carry goods.

Regarding this decoration,  Bernet Kempers  in his book, Indonesia During the Hindu era, page 25, states that the way of making ornaments are quite neat and alluring shows that during the making of this temple has an expert sculptor and building plaster very capably.

Added by Bernet, Kalasan formerly covered by  stucco  entirely, as well as other temples. While smoothing parts of the temple are added stone coverings made ​​of  limestone.

Inside the temple are visible now, there was an older construction. Therefore, some experts say that banguna present it is an additional building of around the 9th century. The original building obviously has an older age than that.

Plan Kalasan foot located at the top of a square pedestal. The temple grounds also square. At the foot of the temple there is a makara. No decoration around the foot of the vase. Body temple squares with viewer-viewer that juts out in the middle of the side. Equipped a throne decorated sekeor singha standing on the back of an elephant.

The outside of the temple, there is a niche decorated with images of deities hold a lotus flower. At each entrance there are dijenggernya headdress when there are flower buds. There above the tree gods and the occupants of heaven plays sounds like a fiddle, drums, shells and fir.

Gana ornate roof temple there. Her roof is octagonal and two-storey. On the first level there is a statue of Buddha. At around the temple are 4.6 meters tall stupa as many as 52 pieces.

Kalasan beauty can still be enjoyed, especially in the southern part of the temple. There is a great Banaspati, lane perpendicular decorated with tendrils and makara-makara, which is including the results of the Hindu Javanese art at best. Another specialty is Makaranya facing in and out and there is a painting above the head Kala shaped towering temple roof.

When the temple is seen from the inside, the temple is composed of a pile of rocks yag interrelated and widened bottom.

Even though this temple was restored in 1927 and in 1929, but people will still find it difficult to see the beauty of this Kalasan. That's because there are parts that can not be forced to be put back together, because many -Stone original stone missing.