Candi Kethek, is a
terraced megalithic
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The ...
pyramid shaped 15th-16th century
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple on the northwest slope of
Mount Lawu in Anggrasmanis village of Gumeng subdistrict in
Jenawi district of
Karanganyar Regency
Karanganyar Regency ( jv, ꦏꦫꦁꦲꦚꦂ) is a regency in the Indonesian province of Central Java. It covers an area of 773.79 km2 and had a population of 813,196 at the 2010 Census and 931,963 at the 2020 Census. Its capital is the tow ...
in
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
of
Indonesia.
[, p. 424.][, p. 26.] Temple has seven terraces facing west, each terrace is connected by stone steps.
[Flame Rozario]
Pyramids in Indonesia? It's not just Gunung Padang
30 May 2016. There is an alternative path to the top terrace on the south side. Kethek Temple is located northeast of fifteenth-century Javanese-Hindu
Ceto Temple
Ceto ( id, Candi Ceto) is a fifteenth-century Javanese-Hindu temple that is located on the western slope of Mount Lawu ( elev. 1495 m above sea level) on the border between Central and East Java provinces.
Cetho is one of several temples built ...
. To reach Candi Kethek, visitors must take a 300 m footpath from Ceto Temple in the direction of the path leading to Puri Taman Saraswati.
Etymology
Kethek in
Javanese means monkey, the name given by local residents to this temple because there used to be many monkeys in this area. ''Candi'' means
Hindu temple built during the ''Zaman Hindu-Buddha'' or "
Hindu-Buddhist period", between the 4th and 15th centuries.
[, p. 1.]
History
The existence of this temple has been reported since 1842.
[ In 2005, excavations were carried out by the Central Java Archaeological Heritage Preservation Agency in collaboration with the Department of Archeology of Gadjah Mada University and the Karanganyar Regency Government. A statue of tortoise, incarnation of Hindu deity Lord Vishnu, denoting Samudramanthana, was found on the lowest terrace, which confirmed that Candi Kethek is a Hindu place of worship.][ Research on the Kethek Temple is still ongoing to obtain more information history of the temple by studying the layout of the temple, and inscriptions and artifacts found at the site.
]
Architecture
This temple is similar to the Ceto temple and 15th-century Javanese-Hindu Sukuh temple (candi) found in this area on the terraces, all of which are considered to be the hallmark of Megalith cultural heritage buildings in the archipelago. Based on this similarity, the time of Candi Kathek's establishment was estimated to be almost the same as the other two temples, i.e. around the 15th to 16th centuries CE.
On the first terrace of the temple, there is a building on the northeast side. The second and third terraces each have two buildings on the north and south sides. Whereas the fourth terrace, the top terrace, is thought to be the site of the main temple building, which is now has a small "stana" with a golden crown, clad in Balinese Poleng Fabric.
See also
; Pyramid temples in Indonesia
* Gunung Padang Megalithic Site
Gunung Padang is a megalithic site located in Karyamukti, Campaka, Cianjur Regency, West Java, Indonesia, southwest of the regency seat or from station. Located at above sea level, the site covers a hill, an extinct volcano, in a series of f ...
, 5 terraces
* Lebak Cibedug
Lebak Cibedug temple, is a Terrace (earthworks), terraced pyramid shaped sacred megalithic site on the bank of Cibedug river near Citorek village in Banten regency of West Java province of Indonesia. There are other megalithic menhirs and dolmens ...
, 9 terraces
* Pugung Raharjo
Pugung Raharjo (sometimes called Pugungraharjo) is a 30 hectares archaeological site in the regency of East Lampung regency of Lampung Province in South Sumatra in Indonesia. The site was discovered in 1957. There is an ancient terraced megalithic ...
, 5 terraces
* Candi Sukuh, 3 terraces
; Related topics in Java
* Candi Ceto
Ceto ( id, Candi Ceto) is a fifteenth-century Javanese-Hindu temple that is located on the western slope of Mount Lawu ( elev. 1495 m above sea level) on the border between Central and East Java provinces.
Cetho is one of several temples built ...
* Candi of Indonesia
* Prambanan Temple, 6th-9th century UNESCO heritage Hindu temple in Central Java.
* Sunda Kingdom, 7th-16th century Indianised Hindu kingdom in Western and Central Java.
* Taruma Kingdom, 2nd-6th century Indianised Hindu kingdom of Western Java.
; Other related topics
* Greater India
Greater India, or the Indian cultural sphere, is an area composed of many countries and regions in South and Southeast Asia that were historically influenced by Indian culture, which itself formed from the various distinct indigenous cultures ...
* Indianisation
* History of Indian influence on Southeast Asia
* Hinduism in Indonesia
* Buddhism in Indonesia
* List of places with columnar jointed volcanics
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Candi Of Indonesia
*
Javanese culture
Cultural Properties of Indonesia
Tourist attractions in Central Java
Archaeological sites in Indonesia
*
Places in Hindu worship
History of Central Java
Archaeology of Indonesia