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Architectural Styles |
Surveys of East Javanese temple architecture
usually begin with Candi Kidal, which lies to the south east of Malang. Built around the
mid 13th century, Kidal is the earliest known example of a new stylistic tendency; a move
away from the massive structures which characterized the monuments built by the Sailendra
dynasty in Central Java some four centuries earlier, towards more slender buildings with
tall, tapering spires. True, we see a foreshadowing of this new style in the Central
Javanese temple complex of Prambanan, but the almost total absence of archaeological
remains from the intervening period makes it difficult to re-construct any coherent
development of architectural design between, say, A.D. 930, when the centre of Javanese
political power shifted to the east, and about 1250, the approximate date for the building
of Candi Kidal.This new style is quite clearly apparent in a number of other monuments of
the 13th and 14th centuries, among them Candi Jawi, Candi Sawentar, Candi Sumberjati
(Simping), Candi Bangkal, Candi Bajang Ratu, as well as the 'dated' temple at Penataran.
A further development occurred in spatial orientation. In the classical architecture of
Central Java, the layout of a temple or temple complex tended to be symmetrical, with the
principal building situated in the centre, almost invariably aligned with the cardinal
points. The whole was conceived as an earthly reflection of the subtle regions inhabited
by the gods, according to the principles of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. With the temples
of East Java, however, there appears to have been a move away from this closed, centrally
focussed orientation, to one where the most important and sacred building was placed at
the rear of the complex, furthest from the entrance.
The Pura
Yeh Gangga at Perean, dating from Majapahit times. |
We see a clear example of this idea at Candi
Penataran, where the site is divided into three separate courtyards, into which a variety
of buildings have been placed in a seemingly haphazard fashion. Symmetry has been all but
abandoned. The principal building, which faces west, can be found at the far eastern end
of the compound. It has frequently been noted, incidently, that Penataran appears to have
been a prototype for the modern day Balinese pura, which usually consists of three
courtyards, known as jaba, jaba tengah, and jeroan, The temple is
essentially a consecrated space enclosed and protected by its surrounding wall. |
One temple which is often considered to
contain elements of both early and late classical Javanese design is Candi Singosari. In
that it has a symmetrical base with four projections aligned with the cardinal points, the
temple follows a pattern commonly found in the Shiwaite monuments of Central Java. Yet
there are marked differences, the most notable of which is the location of the four main
chambers or niches containing statues. In Central Javanese temples these were almost
invariably recessed into the main body of the building, which rested on a solid base. At
Singosari, however, the niches have been set into the base itself, perhaps with the
intention of creating an illusion of greater height. The roof, which has for the most part
collapsed, exhibits further unique elements not yet found in other East Javanese temples.
Ancient
wood carving of a temple in East Javanese style, now preserved in the small, local
goverment museum at Tuban.
In some cases, notably the principal temple at
Penataran, as well as at Candi Jajaghu, there are indications that the roof was not made
of stone, but rather of a combination of wood and sugar palm fibre (ijuk). An example of
this type of structure can still be seen at the Pura Yeh Gangga at Perean, 60 kilometres
north of Denpasar in Bali. The temple, which dates from the Majapahit period (inscriptions
at the site display dates equivalent to A.D. 1339 and 1429) shows the typical
'pagoda-like' tiered roof (mew) of Balinese temples, in this case set on a stone base.
Reliefs on the walls of Candi Jajaghu, moreover, display similar structures.
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