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Muara Takus () is a
Candi Muara Takus was constructed by the maritime-based Srivijaya Empire in the eleventh century. The architecture and design of the temples clearly indicate their Mahayana Buddhist origin. It has been suggested by Schnitger that the major temples at Muara Takus may have undergone major renovations in the twelfth century. It is thought that the area was used as both a religious and trade centre by Srivijaya.
The site was abandoned for many centuries before it was rediscovered by Cornet De Groot in 1860. The site was explored and surveyed by W.P Groenveld in 1880 and excavations have been conducted periodically since. The research on the Muara Takus archaeological site was carried out in 1983 and it resulted in mapping of the ancient embankment remnants, the Mahligai Temple compound, and other ancient structures. The site is now protected as a national monument.
File:007 Candi Tua from East, Main Entrance (38244913275).jpg, Candi Tua, the main temple is a stepped stupa
File:012 Candi Mahligai from North (27349653009).jpg, Candi Mahligai, the tallest stupa
File:016 Candi Bungsu (27349644819).jpg, Candi Bungsu
File:018 Candi Palangka from North (25260236438).jpg, Candi Palangka
Muara Takus Compound Site
- UNESCO world heritage tentative list {{Buddhism topics Archaeological sites in Indonesia Former Buddhist temples Buddhist temples in Indonesia Srivijaya 12th-century Buddhist temples
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
temple complex, thought to belong to the Srivijaya
Srivijaya (), also spelled Sri Vijaya, was a Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia) that influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important ...
empire. It is situated in Kampar Regency
Kampar is a Regency (Indonesia), regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province of Indonesia. The regency formerly included a much larger part of Riau Province, but on 4 October 1999 the western districts were split off to form a separate Rokan Hulu Re ...
in Riau
Riau (Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of the island of Sumatra, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Barisan Mountains to the Malacca Strait, including s ...
province, Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. Its surviving temples and other archaeological remains are thought to date to the 11th and 12th century AD. It is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient temple complexes in Sumatra.
History
Candi Muara Takus was constructed by the maritime-based Srivijaya Empire in the eleventh century. The architecture and design of the temples clearly indicate their Mahayana Buddhist origin. It has been suggested by Schnitger that the major temples at Muara Takus may have undergone major renovations in the twelfth century. It is thought that the area was used as both a religious and trade centre by Srivijaya.
The site was abandoned for many centuries before it was rediscovered by Cornet De Groot in 1860. The site was explored and surveyed by W.P Groenveld in 1880 and excavations have been conducted periodically since. The research on the Muara Takus archaeological site was carried out in 1983 and it resulted in mapping of the ancient embankment remnants, the Mahligai Temple compound, and other ancient structures. The site is now protected as a national monument.
Design and decoration
The temple complex of Candi Muara Takus is surrounded by a 1 metre tall stone perimeter wall that measures 74 x 74 metres. The outer wall is penetrated by a gateway on the northern side. Within the walls are the remains of four substantial Buddhist temples ( candi). The most unusual of these is Candi Mahligai. This lotus-shaped Buddhist stupa is unique in Indonesia though there are numerous similar ancient structures inThailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
. This structure is founded on an octagonal base and reaches a height of 14.30 metres. The uppermost level of the stupa is decorated with lion figures that are barely discernible from below.
On the east side of Candi Mahligai is the base of Candi Palangka. It is constructed from red stone and now only reaches a height of 1.45 metres. It was reportedly much taller at the time of the earliest colonial expeditions to the site but the upper terraces have long since collapsed.
A third structure within the complex is Candi Bungsu. The most striking thing about this temple is that it was built from two very different kinds of stone. One part is built from red stone and the other section from sandstone. This temple now reaches a height of 6.20 metres.
The largest structure at Candi Muara Takus is Candi Tua. Its base measures 32.80 metres x 21.80 metres and it reaches a height of 8.50 metres. This temple is terraced and it bears some resemblance in its design to the much larger stupa, Candi Borobudur
Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur (, ), is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, near the city of Magelang and the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indonesia.
Constructed of gray andesite-like stone, the temple consi ...
, in Java. Like all the temples at Candi Muara Takus, Candi Tua features only minimal decoration. The most notable decorative feature are the seated lion figures on the upper terraces.
See also
*Buddhism in Indonesia
Buddhism has a long history in Indonesia, and it is one of the six recognized religions in the country, along with Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism and Confucianism. According to 2023 estimates roughly 0.71% of the ...
*Candi of Indonesia
A candi (, ) is a Hindu temple, Hindu or Buddhist temple in Indonesia, mostly built during the ''Zaman Hindu-Buddha'' or "Indianized kingdom, Hindu-Buddhist period" between circa the 4th and 15th centuries.
The ''Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia'' ...
*Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism
Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism was the tradition of Esoteric Buddhism found in Maritime Southeast Asia which emerged in the 7th century along the maritime trade routes and port cities of the Indonesia, Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra as well ...
* Indonesian architecture
* Bujang Valley, Malaysia
References
Bibliography
* *External links
Muara Takus Compound Site
- UNESCO world heritage tentative list {{Buddhism topics Archaeological sites in Indonesia Former Buddhist temples Buddhist temples in Indonesia Srivijaya 12th-century Buddhist temples