Mendut is a ninth-century

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

, located in Mendut village, Mungkid sub-district, Magelang Regency,

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The temple is located about three kilometres east of

Borobudur Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur (, ), is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, near the city of Magelang and the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indonesia. Constructed of gray andesite-like stone, the temple consi ...

. Mendut, Borobudur, and Pawon, all of which are Buddhist temples, are located in one straight line. There is a mutual religious relationship between the three temples, although the exact ritual process is unknown.

History

Built around the early ninth century AD, Mendut is the oldest of the three temples including Pawon and Borobudur. The Karangtengah inscription, the temple was built and finished during the reign of King Indra of the Sailendra dynasty. The inscription dated 824 AD mentioned that King Indra of Sailendra had built a sacred building named ''Venuvana'' which means "bamboo forest". Dutch archaeologist JG de Casparis has connected the temple mentioned in the Karangtengah inscription with the Mendut temple. In 1836 it was discovered as a ruins covered with bushes. The restoration of this temple was started in 1897 and was finished in 1925. Some archaeologists who had researched this temple were JG de Casparis, , and Arisatya Yogaswara.

Architecture

The plan of the temple's base is square, and measures 13.7 metre on each side, with the base level 3.7 metre above the ground. The 26.4-metre tall temple is facing northwest. The stairs projecting from the northwest side square elevated base is adorned with a Makara statue on each side, the side of the stairwell is carved with bas-relief of

Jataka The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

narrating the animal story of Buddhist teaching. The square terrace surrounding the body of the temple was meant for ''pradakshina'' or circumambulating ritual, walking clockwise around the temple. The outer walls are adorned with bas-reliefs of Boddhisattvas (Buddhist divinities), such as Avalokitesvara,

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddhahood, Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: Th ...

, Cunda, Ksitigarbha, Samantabhadra, Mahakarunika Avalokitesvara, Vajrapani,

Manjusri Manjushri () is a ''bodhisattva'' who represents ''Prajñā (Buddhism), prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom) of the Buddhas in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The name "Mañjuśrī" is a combination of Sanskrit word "wikt:%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%9E%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9C%E0 ...

, Akasagarbha, and Boddhisattvadevi

Prajnaparamita file:Medicine Buddha painted mandala with goddess Prajnaparamita in center, 19th century, Rubin.jpg, A Tibetan painting with a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra at the center of the mandala Prajñāpāramitā means "the Perfection of Wisdom" or "Trans ...

among other Buddhist figures. Originally the temple had two chambers, a small chamber in the front, and a large main chamber in the center. The roof and some parts of the front chamber walls are missing. The uppermost part of the roof is missing, it is supposed to have a

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

pinnacle with size and style probably just like the one in Sojiwan temple. The inner wall of the front chamber is adorned with a bas-relief of Hariti surrounded by children, Atavaka on the other side, Kalpataru, also groups of devatas divinities flying in heaven. The main room has three carved large stone statues. The 3 metres tall statue of Dhyani Buddha Vairocana was meant to liberate the devotees from bodily karma, at the left is a statue of Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara to liberate them from the karma of speech, and at the right is Boddhisatva Vajrapani to liberate from the karma of thought.

Rituals

During the full moon in May or June, Buddhists in Indonesia observe the annual

Vesak Vesak (; Sanskrit: '), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Visak Bochea and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet and Mongolia. It is among the ...

ritual by walking from Mendut through Pawon to Borobudur. The ritual takes the form of a mass Buddhist prayer and ''pradakshina'' (circumambulation) around the temple. Followers of traditional '' Kejawen'' (Javanese mysticism) or Buddhists, came to worship in the Mendut temple and it is believed to be able to fulfill wishes, such as deliverance from sickness. Childless couples, for example, pray at the bas-relief of Hariti for a child, since in traditional Javanese beliefs, Hariti is a symbol of fertility, patroness of motherhood, and protector of children.

Gallery

Candi Mendut - reliefs (2025) - img 16.jpg, Carvings on a side of the stairwell File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Reliëf op de Candi Mendut TMnr 20026894.jpg, The bas-relief of Hariti on the inner northern wall of Mendut Candi Mendut - reliefs (2025) - img 02.jpg , A bas-relief of Kalpataru Candi Mendut - Dharmachakra and Crouching Deers (2025) - img.jpg, A bas-relief of Dharmacakra and Crouching Deers beneath the plinth inside the temple Candi Mendut - Vairocana Buddha (2025) - img 03.jpg, Statue of the Vairocana Buddha Candi Mendut - Padmapani (2025) - img 01.jpg , Statue of the Padmapani (Avalokiteshvara) Bodhisattava Candi Mendut - Vajrapani (2025) - img 01.jpg , Statue of the Vajrapani Bodhisattava Candi Mendut - facade north-east (2025) - img 02.jpg , Northeastern facade Candi_Mendut_-_ruins_(2025)_-_img_06.jpg , A destroyed temple on the northeast of Mendut Temple Candi Mendut - reliefs (2025) - img 10.jpg , A view from the base of the temple Magelang - Mendut Buddhist Monastery (2025) - img 06.jpg , Mendut Buddhist Monastery, a present-day monastery that os located next to the site Mendut Buddhist Monastery - Candi Sangharājā (2025) - img 01.jpg , Candi Sangharājā in the Mendut Buddhist Monastery, built in the occasion of Vajirañāṇasaṃvara's 100th birthday

References

External links