page_title: Sewu
section_title: The temple complex
hierarchical_section_title: Sewu / The temple complex
caption_attribution_description: English: Candi Sewu Layout Bahasa Indonesia: Denah Candi Sewu
context_page_description: Sewu is an eighth century Mahayana Buddhist temple located 800 metres north of Prambanan in Central Java, Indonesia. The word for a Hindu or Buddhist temple in Indonesian is "candi," hence the common name is "Candi Sewu." Candi Sewu is the second largest Buddhist temple complex in Indonesia; Borobudur is the largest. Sewu predates nearby "Loro Jonggrang" temple at Prambanan. Although the complex consists of 249 temples, this Javanese name translates to 'a thousand temples,' which originated from popular local folklore. Archaeologists believe the original name for the temple compound to be Manjusrigrha.
context_section_description: The Sewu temple complex is the largest Buddhist compound in the Prambanan area, with rectangular grounds that measure 185 meters north-south and 165 meters east-west. There is an entrance on all four cardinal points, but the main entrance is located on the east side. Each of the entrances is guarded by twin Dvarapala statues. These large guardian statues have been better preserved, and replicas can be found at Jogja Kraton. There are 249 buildings in the complex are arranged in a Mandala pattern around the main central hall. This configuration expresses the Mahayana Buddhist view of the universe. There are 240 smaller temples, called Perwara (guardian) temples, with similar designs that are arranged in four rectangular concentric rows. Two outer rows are arranged closer and consist of 168 smaller temples, while two inner rows, arranged at certain intervals, consist of 72 temples. The 249 temples located in the second precinct were all made with a square frame but varied by different statues and orientations. Many of the statues are now gone, and the arrangements on the current site are not in the original orientations. The statues are comparable to the statues of Borobudur and were likely made of bronze. 
  Along the north-south and east-west central axis at a distance of about 200 meters, between the second and third rows of the smaller temple are located the apit (flank) temples, a couple on each cardinal point facing each other. The apit temples are the second largest temples after the main temple, however only eastern twin apit and a northern one still remain today. These smaller temples encompass a larger sanctuary that has been heavily looted. Behind the fourth row of smaller temples lies the stone paved courtyard where the main temple stood on the center. 
  The nearby temples, Gana temple in the east and Bubrah temple in the south, are suggested as the part of greater Manjusrigrha vajradhatu  mandala complex. Both temples are located around 300 metres from the Sewu main temple. There are northern and western ruins discovered around the same distance from the main temple, however the stones was too scarce for reconstruction. These temples suggested that indeed the Sewu temple compound was completed with four additional temples, located 300 metres from the main temple, which is corresponds with the mandala and the guardians of the directions concept.
caption: Candi Sewu Layout
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