Sumberawan is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

located in Toyomarto village, Sumberawan subdistrict, Malang Regency,

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The stupa is located in the highlands, on the southern slope of Mount Arjuno, surrounded by numerous Springs. It is located about 6 kilometres north of Singhasari temple. The stupa is traditionally linked to the historic

Singhasari Singhasari ( jv, ꦏꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦔ꧀ꦲꦱꦫꦶ, translit=Karaton Singhasari or , id, Kerajaan Singasari) was a Javanese Hindu kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded the Kingdom of Kediri as ...

Kingdom that ruled the area circa 13th Century CE, however experts suggest that it dates from about the end of 14th century to the beginning of 15th century, during

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...

period.

Structure

Sumberawan is quite unique, since it was the only Buddhist shrine in East Java that was built in the shape of

structure. In contrast to Buddhist temples in the region that built in typical candi architecture; such as nearby

Jago Jago may refer to: People * Jago, an alternate spelling for Iago * Jago (name), a Cornish name * Jago (illustrator) (born 1979), book illustrator * Jago of Britain, a legendary king of the Britons * Fred W. P. Jago (fl. 1838–1892), scholar of t ...

, Brahu in

Trowulan Trowulan is an archaeological site in Trowulan (subdistrict), Trowulan Subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, in the Indonesian province of East Java. It includes approximately 100 square kilometres and has been theorized to be the site of the eponymo ...

and

Jabung Jabung is a 14th-century Buddhist temple dated from Majapahit era, located in the Jabung Sisir village (''desa''), Paiton area, Probolinggo district, East Java, Indonesia. The temple is made from red brick measuring 16.20 metres. The temple was ...

temple in Paiton. The stupa consists of square base and cylindrical body of bell-shaped stupa, akin to Central Javanese Borobudur-style stupa, while the pinnacle is missing. The structure is made of

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

stone. The structure consists of a square base, pedestal, and a stupa. Rectangular base measures each sides 6.30 metres and 2.60 metres in height. Above the base is the rectangular pedestal measuring side of 5.04 m and height of 1.08 meters. The stupa consists of a rectangular-shaped pedestal measuring 4.24 x 4.24 m, the lower part of the stupa with an octagonal shape, topped with a rounded lotus-shaped cushion and a bell-shaped stupa body. The height of the stupa is 2.42 m. Total measurement of the stupa is 6.25 metres in length, width of 6.25 metres, and height of 5.23 metres.

Location

Built at an altitude of 650 m above sea level, at the foot of Mount Arjuno, the scenery around this temple is quite beautiful. The temple is located near a

water spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...

with a very clear water, thus gave the name of the temple; ''Sumber-awan'', in Javanese ''sumber'' means "water spring", while ''awan'' means "noon". It is thought the clear spring in the past is considered as a holy spring, essential for Hindu-Buddhist rituals. Thus the shrine was built as the landmarker, the guardian and the protector of the water spring.

History

This site has been identified with Kasurangganan, or 'the garden of the heavenly nymphs', which was mentioned in the Nagarakretagama manuscript as having been visited by King

Hayam Wuruk Hayam Wuruk (Sanskrit: हयम् वुरुक्, Kawi: ꦲꦪꦩ꧀ꦮꦸꦫꦸꦏ꧀) (1334–1389), also called Rajasanagara, Pa-ta-na-pa-na-wu, or Bhatara Prabhu after 1350, was a Javanese Hindu emperor from the Rajasa Dynasty and th ...

of Majapahit during his royal tour across his realm in East Java in 1359. The numbers written on the stones of dagoba (small stupa) indicate the period between the 11th and 15th centuries. However, examining the architecture and style, this simple form of stupa is thought to originate from between late 14th to early 15th century. In modern times, Sumberawan temple was first discovered during the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

period in 1904. In 1935 a visit was made by researchers from the Archaeological Service. In 1937 a restoration was carried out on the base and pedestal parts of the structure, while the rest of stupa was reconstructed modestly, since most of the stones of stupa and ''chattra'' pinnacle are missing.

References

{{Indonesia topics Sumberawan Cultural Properties of Indonesia in East Java Singhasari 14th-century Buddhist temples

Structure

Location

History

See also

References