Candi Merak Revisited

In January 2019, I revisited Candi Merak on a driving trip around Klaten regency . This 12-metre high Hindu temple from the kingdom of Mataram Kuno is possibly one of the oldest temples in the Yogyakarta-Klaten area, dating from either the ninth or tenth century. It has many archaic features such as kudu heads, which are associated with the earliest phase of temple-building in Java. While it is clearly a Hindu temple, it incorporates some features more commonly found on Buddhist temples, such as a torus base. This suggests that during the heyday of Mataram Kuno, Hindu architecture began to borrow motifs and features from Buddhist shrines, with Candi Merak being one of the earliest examples. Overall, the focus of this post will mostly be highlighting some of the sculptural highlights from this transitional temple.

The western wall features a Ganesha niche

The first photo shows the western side of the temple. In this shot you can see the torus-styled base, which had previously been associated with Buddhist temples in Central Java. The highlight of the western wall is a Ganesha niche. While the carving of the elephant-headed god is damaged, with part of his trunk missing, it would be impossible to confuse the identity of the deity. It is also worth noting the lotus pedestal on which the god is sitting: another borrowing from the Buddhist religion. The niche is flanked by two wall carvings of other Hindu deities.

The goddess Durga slaying the demon buffalo

The northern wall features a similar niche, this time featuring the goddess Durga in her ferocious aspect. The depiction on the goddess here is especially impressive. The four-armed deity is shown with a wide-hipped, full-figured form, her body covered with a thin, diaphanous robe. She appears to wear elaborate ornaments in the form of heavy, metallic anklets and decorative arm-bands. Unfortunately, her head has been lost to looters. The goddess is standing on top of a bull, showing her in the incarnation of the slayer of the bull demon. This beautiful carving is one of the highlights of a visit to Candi Merak.

A beautiful bas-relief on the side of the main staircase

While many previous articles have described the makhara ornaments on the staircase at Candi Merak, much less attention has been given to the delightful bas-relief on the side of the staircase. It is centred around a depiction of the cosmic tree, which is shown here with garlands hanging from its lowermost branches. On the left hand side, there is a well-preserved depiction of a water jug, which is possibly a symbol of fertility and life. On the right-hand side, there is a standing deity represented with robes and heavy jewelry.

There are kudu heads in horseshoe niches on the roof of the temple

The final feature worth inspecting in detail is the roof of the temple. It has a pyramidal shape, consisting of three levels, each one more narrow than the last. The most interesting feature here is the present of small kudu heads inside horseshoe-shaped niches. This design recalls the iconoclastic temple of Candi Bima at Dieng. In later years, this motif was to fall out of popularity in Java. Intriguingly, the presence of kudu heads on Candi Merak suggests some degree of cultural exchange or continuity between the Dieng Plateau temples and the earliest Hindu shrines of Mataram Kuno. In incorporating elements from both the Shivaite temples of Dieng and also those from the neighboring Buddhist temples of the Prambanan Plain, Candi Merak created an interesting hybrid which repays careful examination.

Candi Bima: The Temple of the Kudu Heads

For the third and final post in a series of the lesser-known temples of the Dieng Plateau, I am going to focus on Candi Bima, which is certainly the most unorthodox of the district’s temples. Both in terms of its design and decoration, it varies sharply from the other temples in the vicinity, raising some interesting questions about the early history of Hinduism in Java.

The form of Candi Bima is very different from the temples of the nearby Arjuna Complex. Rather than the tiered, pyramidal roofs of Candi Arjuna and Candi Srikandi, we have a curvilinear form which seems to shoot upwards from the temple body. It brings to mind the temples or Odisha (formerly Orissa) in Eastern India rather than those from Southern India. In other words, Candi Bima references an architectural tradition which was quite distinct from that of the other candis on the plateau. It seems probable that cultural or trading links existed between the peoples of ancient Orissa and Java but this remains speculative. What can be more safely said is that Candi Bima represents a style of architecture which found an early toehold in Java but ultimately lost out in popularity to the pyramidal style of Candi Arjuna. This makes it something of a cul-de-sac in the development of the Javanese temple.

Candi Bima has a towering superstructure with rich ornamentation

Its separateness from other Dieng temples is reflected not only in the curvilinear form of the roof but also in its rich and varied decoration. Like other temples on the Dieng Plateau, it sports kala heads over its niches, but in other aspects it diverges quite markedly. Above the kala niches there are two bands of decorative detail- the lowermost one shows draped cloth and the uppermost one shows a row of dentils. Both of these features are most unusual in the Javanese architectural tradition. However, it is the decoration on the roof which its the temple’s remarkable feature.

The first thing you are likely to notice in looking at the roof is the heads which peer down from the roof, each of them contained in horseshoe arches. These heads represent the Hindu divinity Shiva and are known as kudu heads. For the traveler who is accustomed to Shiva being represented only in the form of linga, this can come as a surprise. While kudu heads are also present on some temples in the Yogyakarta such as Candi Ijo and Candi Merak, Candi Bima is the sole repository of them at Dieng. Yet there are a number of other unusual details on the roof.

The roof of Candi Bima features rich and varied decorative details

One of the more striking is the presence of amalakas on the roof. These are a kind of ribbed capital, two fine examples of which survive on the western side of the temple. Just below them can be seen a couple of pots known as kalasa. These pots symbolize the abundance of the universe. They are worth comparing with the khumba pots which adorn boundary stones from North-Eastern Thailand during the same period. A final detail worth noting here is the preponderance of lotus petal motifs which can be found both in bands and around the edges of kudu arches. While the lotus blossom is more typically associated with Buddhism, in Southeast Asia the use of hybrid imagery is quite common.

The main entrance features a kala head and floral motifs

In conclusion, Candi Bima is one of the most unique and idiosyncratic of early Javanese temples. Its elongated silhouette calls to mind the temples of Odissa rather than the pyramidal rooflines of early South India. Furthermore, it boasts a wealth of unusual decorative details- most notably a collection of kudu heads- which sets it apart from neighbouring temples. It represents a distinct chapter in early Javanese temple art which hints at the varied cultural links which informed its Hindu architecture.