Plaosan Temple

Plaosan Lor consists of two almost identical rectangular temples standing side by side, ninth century, surrounded by rows of small perwara temples and stupas - a hundred and seventy-four in total by the usual count. The building is associated with Rakai Pikatan of the Hindu Sanjaya line and Pramodhawardhani, a Buddhist princess of the Sailendra line, whose marriage joined the two dynasties, and the temples are read as a Buddhist foundation built under a Hindu king - which is why Plaosan sits a short distance from Hindu Prambanan and is contemporary with it. The interiors hold bodhisattva images and reliefs of donors. It is far quieter than Prambanan, usually with a handful of visitors, and the twin temples with the stupa rows in front are best photographed in the early morning.

What you actually see

• Twin rectangular temples - two almost identical Buddhist buildings side by side.
• 174 stupas and small shrines - the rows surrounding the main pair.
• A dynastic marriage - Buddhist foundation under a Hindu king, joining two lines.
• Bodhisattva images and donor reliefs - the surviving sculpture inside.

When to go

May to September; early morning light and empty grounds. Half a day.

Honest expectations

There is little interpretation on site. It is exposed with no shade. Some structures remain as loose stone rather than reconstructed. Entry is cheap because almost nobody comes.

Nearby

Prambanan is two kilometres away; Sewu and Sambisari are close.