Batujaya Temples

The Batujaya complex sits in flat paddy country near the north coast of West Java and contains something over thirty brick structures identified so far, of which several have been excavated and consolidated - Candi Jiwa and Candi Blandongan the best known. Dating has put the earliest phases around the fifth to sixth centuries, which makes this the oldest excavated temple site in Java, considerably earlier than the Central Javanese monuments, and it is associated with Tarumanagara, the earliest historically attested polity on the island. The structures are Buddhist, built of brick without stone, with stucco decoration and votive tablets recovered from them. Candi Jiwa has an unusual lotus-shaped plan on its upper surface. The site is low, flat and easily missed, with a small museum holding the finds.

What you actually see

• Java's oldest excavated temples - brick structures from the fifth or sixth century.
• Candi Jiwa's lotus plan - the unusual form on the upper surface of the platform.
• Brick and stucco building - no stone, unlike the later Javanese monuments.
• A site museum - votive tablets, stucco and finds from the excavations.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The structures are low platforms rather than standing temples - visually modest against Borobudur or Prambanan. Interpretation is limited. The site is hot, flat and shadeless.

Nearby

Karawang is south; Jakarta is west along the coast road.