Temple Sewu

Not many people know that inside Prambanan Temple Complex there are several other temples, one of them is Sewu Temple which is a Buddhist temple complex that is not less inferior to Prambanan Temple. Sewu Temple is an 8th century Mahayana Buddhist temple located 800 meters north of Prambanan Temple in Klaten, Central Java. Sewu Temple is actually the second largest Buddhist temple complex in Indonesia after Borobudur and older than Prambanan Temple. The name of the temple comes from the Javanese language meaning "thousand temples", although the temple complex consists only of 249 temples. The original name of this temple is estimated to be Manjusrigrha

This temple is one of the temples in the Prambanan Temple Complex and is the largest Buddhist temple complex in the region. Rectangular, Sewu temple has a length of 185 meters from north keselatan and width 165 meters from east to west. The entrance is found in the four winds but if dilhat of the layout of the temple building then the main entrance is on the east side. At each entrance the cadi is guarded by a pair of Drawapala statues.

There are 249 temple buildings arranged in the Mandala pattern as an expression of the view of the universe in Buddha Mayapada. The smaller temples are called perwara temples, consisting of 240 temples with the same design and arranged in four rectangular rows. The main temple has a diameter of 29 meters with a height of up to 30 meters. The main temple has five rooms, one large Garbhagriha in the middle and four small rooms in each direction of the wind. At each corner of the wind there is a building structure that jutted out, each with its own staircase and room and crowned the composition of the stupa.

Sewu Temple is rarely visited by tourists because many do not know the existence of this temple though close to Prambanan Temple. Although not as popular as Prambanan temple, this temple remains an attraction for tourists who love the temple tour. After enjoying the beauty of Prambanan Temple, tourists can walk towards this temple and see the beauty of the extraordinary Sewu Temple.