Candi Barong

Candi Barong (Barong Temple) is one of Hindu temples that is situated on the hill of Batur Agung, i.e. around 199.27 m above sea level. Administratively the Candi is located in Dusun (Javanese term for neighborhood) Candisari, Sambirejo Village, Prambanan District, while astronomically it is on 7’46’16^o South Latitude and 110’29’34 ^o East Longitude coordinates.

The location of Candi Barong is known from the Dutch Archive, i.e. was stated in ROO 1915. Candi Barong was called “Candi Sari Sorogedug”. Local people call it Candi Barong, because there is a relief of “kala” on some part of the Candi which is identical to barongan in Javanese. There are some Hindu and Buddha temples/sites around Candi Barong, i.e. Candi Miri, Candi Dawangsari, Arca Ganesha, Ratu Boko Site and Candi Sumberwatu. A study found out that Candi Barong was built in the 9-10 centuries AD and then was found decayed in the early of the 20s.

Candi Barong was built to be a sanctuary to worship the God of Wisnu and the Goddess of Sri. Wisnu is one of the Hindu Trimurti Gods whose part is as a protector. Meanwhile, Sri is one of The God of Wisnu’s cakties, and was considered the Goddess of Rice by the people of that time who counted their lives on agriculture (rice). The soil around the Candi was empty and infertile, then worshipping the God of Wisnu and the Goddess of Sri was aimed at beseeching fertility so that the people could get wealthier.

Architecturally, Candi Barong is unique, if compared to other temples in the neighborhood of Prambanan. The uniqueness is seen in its layout that is backward-centered. It is unusual, as commonly temples of Central Java Period are centered to the middle, like Candi Prambanan and Candi Sewu. This layout is also seen at Candi Ijo that is situated not far from Candi Barong.

Candi Barong is divided into three yards, i.e. yard I, in which two Candi stand, then yards II and III in which there is no construction. There is only an outer fence on the east side which was once found buried in the soil. There are two main constructions of Candi Barong in terrace/yard I. These two Candi are 8.18 meter wide, 8.18 meter long and 9.05 meter tall. The reconstruction of Candi Barong was started in 1987, from its north side. When the stones of the north Candi were excavated, there were 9 squares found. The squares were a representation of wastupurusamandala. According to Stella Kramrisch, the square in the middle was the center of the unseen controlling the universe, while the other 8 were the embodiment of the God of the wind.

The reconstruction of the two main Candi Barong finished in 1992. Another reconstruction of embankment and fence came right after. During the reconstruction, some archeological entities were found: two statues of God of Wisnu, two statues of Goddes of Sri, two unfinished statues, and a statue of Ganesha. Peripih (boxes) made from andesite and white stones were also found.

There were some silver and gold plaques found in one of the peripih. There was some writing on the gold plaques, but it was unreadable. There were also some household appliances found, e.g. ceramic bowls, jars, axes and spoons.