Candi Sambisari

In 1966 a farmer at Sambisari struck stone while working a field and uncovered carved fragments; excavation over the following years revealed a complete ninth-century Shaivite temple complex buried some six and a half metres below the modern ground surface - a main shrine with three subsidiary temples on a walled platform, covered by volcanic material from an eruption of Merapi, probably in the eleventh century. Restoration finished in 1987. The result is unusual to look at: the temple sits at the bottom of a sunken rectangular lawn with the fields at your eye level as you look across, so you descend into it rather than climb up to it. The main shrine holds a lingga and yoni, and niches on the outside carry Durga, Ganesha and Agastya in good condition.

History

Historians date the Shaivite temple to the first decades of the 9th century, about 812-838, from its likeness to Prambanan and a gold plate found nearby, and the Wanua Tengah III inscription of 908 suggests it was built in the reign of Rakai Garung, who ruled from 828 to 846. It lay buried 6.5 metres below the present ground until a farmer struck it in July 1966, and its excavation and reconstruction were completed in March 1987 (Wikipedia, Sambisari).

What to look for

• A temple below ground level - six metres down in a sunken excavated lawn.
• Merapi's burial - the volcanic material that covered it, probably in the eleventh century.
• A lingga and yoni - the Shaivite focus in the main shrine.
• Durga, Ganesha and Agastya - the exterior niche figures, well preserved.

When to go

May to September. An hour.

Good to know

It is small and takes half an hour. There is no shade in the sunken lawn. Interpretation is limited. It closes earlier than the major sites.

Nearby

Kalasan and Sari temples are close; Prambanan is east.

Key facts