Sambisari temple is a Hindu temple that was built in the 9th century by Rakai
Garung. The name of the temple was given after the name of the area where it was
found, Sambisari village. It is located at Purwomartani Sub-District, Kalasan
District, Sleman Regency about 12 kilometers eastward Yogyakarta.
This beautiful temple was accidentally found by a farmer working on his land
in 1966. According to geological research, it was buried more or less 6,5 meters
under the ground surface by the cold lava flood from Mount Merapi eruption in
1906.
The location giving a unique situation as the temple is standing 6,5 meters down
in the excavation pit. The construction position gives a perfect chance to visitors
to view the entire temple from upside.
Sambisari Temple consists of a main temple and three smaller temples on the front
side called perwara temple surrounded by white-stoned fence laid on 50 x 48 meters
square area. The pattern of yard division looks like resemble one of Prambanan
temple, but in simpler shape. Actually there are 2 fences surrounding the temple
complex, one of the fence was totally reconstructed, while the other was only
showed a little in the east side of the temple. Near to the fences, there is another
border in the shape of 8 stands yoni distributed in each point of direction.
The Main Temple
The main temple sizes 13,65 x 13,65 meters and 7,5 meters in height, from foundation
(foot), body, and top. It faces to the west and has one room. Unlike the other
temple structure, Sambisari is built without shoe basement.
Commonly, the foot of the temple has a function as the foundation to make the
temple stands on the ground steadily. This temple attached directly on the ground
with undecorated plain base. The ornaments are carved only on the body to the
outer part of the temple top, most of them are plants look like batik pattern.
The main temple stands on 1 meter height foundation, with stone stairs between
two ornaments of a dragon in the right and left side. In the upper last stairs
there is a stone gate with an open mouth makara (the magical animal in Hindu mythology)
as an entrance. The figure of makara in Sambisari is an evolution of the makara
form in India that can be in the form of a mix of elephant and fish or a crocodile
and curved-tail fish. One-step from the gate, there is a door to the main room
with two empty niches in the left and right of it.
Inside the room, there is lingga-yoni measuring at around 1.5 meters; lingga-yoni
is statue illustrates unification between man and woman. In the ancient Javanese
culture, they symbolize land fertility. Its existence shows that this temple was
build as the place for worshipping Siva. The lingga and the yoni behind this temple
were also used to make the holy water. Usually, the water is poured on the lingga
and let flow toward the small ditch on the yoni, then it is accommodated in a
container.
At the outside of the room wall, there are three niches with statue in each of
them. In
the North, there is Durga statue inside the niche, Ganeca in the East and the
south niche has statue of Agastya. And along the fenced corridor outside the room,
there are twelve pedestals, consisting of 8 rounded and four square in shape.
These pedestals probably served as the stand for wooden pillars supporting the
roof.
The Supporting Temple (Perwara)
Near the outer gate in the west side of the main temple, there are three small
4,80 x 4,80 meters supporting temples called candi perwara .Though two of them
completely a ruin, but it is obviously seemed that they are similar in shape and
measurement. The inner part of each central supporting temples ( perwara ) has
a square saucer decorated with dragon ornament on it. The saucers are possibly,
places for statues or offerings. There was a hypothesis that these perwara temples
intentionally constructed without roof, as there were no roof stones discovered
during the excavation.