Description of the attraction
Sambisari Temple is a Hindu temple located 8 km east of Yogyakarta city, near Adisucipto International Airport. The temple was hidden under the ground at a depth of 5 meters; during the excavations, only part of the temple was excavated.
The temple was discovered by accident when a farmer was working the land in July 1966, and his hoe hit a carved stone, which turned out to be part of the buried ruins of the temple. Excavations and restoration work began, which were completed only in March 1987. It is believed that the temple was buried under a layer of ash during the eruption of Mount Merapi.
Perhaps the discovery of the Sambisari Temple was one of the most exciting archaeological finds in Yogyakarta, as the discovery made one wonder if there are other ancient temples buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Merapi.
Based on the architectural style and ornaments of the building, as well as Hindu statues around the walls of the temple and the linga-yoni (a vertically placed cylinder with a rounded top, which symbolizes the indivisible unity of male and female principles), historians have come to the conclusion that the Sambisari temple is a Shaivite temple. which was built approximately in the first or second decade of the 9th century. This historical conclusion was further supported by the fact that during the excavations a golden plate with engraved symbols was found, which were used in writing at the beginning of the 9th century on the territory of ancient Java. Relatively recently, excavations were again carried out, during which the walls surrounding the temple were discovered. Only part of the walls was excavated, the rest are still underground.
The Sambisari Temple was surrounded by white brick walls. The temple complex consists of a main temple and three smaller temples that line up in front of the main temple. The walls of the temple were decorated with statues of the gods.
