It's not a secret that our country has many temples, and Borobudur and Prambanan Temples are perhaps the most famous ones. On this occasion I'm going to tell you about another famous temple. It is located 3 km from Prambanan Temple named Plaosan Temple, also known as the twin temple. Let me tell you further about the temple.

    Plaosan Temple is situated in Bugisan, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java. Experts claim that the temple, a Buddhist shrine, was built by Pramodhawardani, the daughter of King Samarattungga of Syailendra Dynasty, with the support from her husband, Rakai Pikatan of Sanjaya Dynasty. However, other experts argue that Plaosan Temple had been built before Rakai  Pikatan reigned. In October 2003, an inscription was discovered which supports the claim that the temple was built during Rakai Pikatan era. The temple has two complexes, Plaosan Lor (North Plaosan) and Plaosan Kidul (South Plaosan). Now, I'd like to describe Plaosan Lor first.

    Plaosan Lor is a large complex of temples. On each of this compound's sides, there is a couple of face-to-face Dwarapala statues, each in seated position on its right leg and the left one bended in front of the body. The right hand holds a cudgel, while the left one is on the left knee. On the temple's north court, there are 6 big stupas and a rectangular stone terrace surrounded by rows of stone pedestals. The smaller terrace can be found on the south of the compound. At the center of this temple complex, there are two two-story buildings that constitute the main temple. You know, the two buildings face west, each surrounded by a stone wall. The stone wall is encircled by 174 ancillary temples.

    Each of the main temples stands on a 60 cm high base that surrounds the temple's body. The stairs to the door have stone banisters with a statue of a dragon head on each end. The door's frame is embellished with sculptures of flowers and climbing plants. The frame is topped by a sculpture of a kala head without its lower jaw in high relief. Along the outer wall is adorned with relief depicting men and women in standing position at a size of real human figures. The wall of the south temple carries relief of male figures, while that of the north temple depicts female figures.

    Next is about Plaosan Kidul. The temple is located on the south of Plaosan Lor, separated by a road. While the main temple of Plaosan Lor still stand firm, its counterparts of Plaosan Kidul have crumbled, leaving only a number of 'candi perwara' (ancillary temples).

    That's all about Plaosan Temple. Write on your bucket list to visit the temple.

Adopted from: https://web.archive.org/web/20191129044740/ https://candi.perpusnas.go.id/temples_en/deskripsicentraljavaplaosan_39 (February 16, 2021)

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