Mahayana Buddhist temple Sojiwan

Dr Uday Dokras
Sojiwan is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple located in Kebon Dalem Kidul village,
Prambanan, Klaten Regency, Central Java. The temple is located nearly two kilometres
southeast of Prambanan temple. This temple is among number of temples scattered
in Prambanan Plain. It was built between 842 and 850 CE, approximately in the same era
as the Plaosan temple nearby and like Plaosan it is dedicated to Queen Pramodhawardhani. It
is known as 1 of the 3 love temples of King Rakai Pinkaton.

Sojiwan temple, in 2009 during reconstruction

In ninth-century Java when a large portion of the island was ruled by a Hindu king and his
Buddhist queen, a medium-sized Buddhist sanctuary better known today as Candi Sojiwan
was commissioned not too far from Prambanan, one the largest Hindu temple compounds
ever built in Southeast Asia. Following the gradual decline of both Buddhism and Hinduism
throughout the archipelago, except in Bali, shrines of both religions were eventually
abandoned. The frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on Java further damaged the
island’s hundreds- and thousands-year-old structures.

The Rukam inscription dated 829 Saka (907 CE) currently stored in the National Museum of
Indonesia mentioned the inauguration of Rukam village restoration by Nini Haji Rakryan
Sanjiwana, previously the village was being devastated by a volcanic eruption. In return, the
inhabitant of Rukam village was obliged to take care of a sacred building located in
Limwung. This sacred building was identified as Sojiwan temple, while the name of the royal
patron mentioned in this inscription: Nini Haji Rakryan Sanjiwana, was identified
as Queen Pramodhawardhani, the temple bears her name Sajiwan and believed to be
dedicated to her.

Sojiwan temple was rediscovered in 1813 by Colonel Colin Mackenzie, a subordinate of Sir
Stamford Raffles. He examined the archaeological remains around the Prambanan plain and
rediscovered the ruins of the wall surrounding the temple. The temple was left in ruins for
decades until the government launched the reconstruction effort started in 1996. Since 1999
the temple become the training and education center for the temple reconstruction project.
During the reconstruction, the excavation discovered a wall structure surrounding the temple

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and also a stone-paved causeway in front of the temple. In 2006 the reconstruction project
was halted and took a major blow because of the earthquake, which caused the reconstructed
building parts and scaffolding to collapse. The reconstruction project was completed in
December 2011, and inaugurated by Mari Pangestu, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and
Creative Economy. The reconstruction took 15 years and 8.27 billion rupiah cost.

Sojiwan temple in 2014, after reconstruction

The temple was made of andesite stone, its size, style, and form are similar to those of the
Mendut temple near Borobudur. The temple complex measures 8,140 square meters, with the
main building measuring 401.3 square meters and 27 meters high. The base of the temple
contains 20 bas-reliefs connected to the Buddhist stories
of Pancatantra or Jatakas from India. From these 20 reliefs, 19 remain. The stairway is
flanked by two large makaras. The inner chamber of the temple contains two niches and lotus
pedestals, originally hosting Buddha and Bodhisattva statues. However, currently, the
chamber is empty. The temple roof took the form of a stepped pyramid crowned with stupas.

During the restoration project, the excavation works discovered two rows of walls
surrounding the temple, located 14 meters and 30 meters from the main temple. Other
discoveries include paved pathways, stairs, and temple stone block fragments surrounding the
main temple, suggesting that Sojiwan was a temple complex, there were perwara temples
(lesser complementary temples) that once stood within the temple complex.

Finally, the multi-year, inter-disciplinary endeavor was completed in 2011, the year when the
structure was restored to its 27-meter height. The west-facing sanctuary was formerly
decorated with carved floral patterns. But due to the lack of original pieces, the stone blocks
used during the reconstruction were left bare in accordance with the widely-accepted
guidelines for anastylosis – a technique to reconstruct ancient monuments using original
architectural elements to the greatest degree possible, combined with the use of modern
materials when necessary. This is to allow us to differentiate between the pieces from the past
and those from more recent times. However, since 2015 there has been a cautious change in
the way UNESCO lays out such guidelines, now allowing for a selective total reconstruction
as long as legitimate and complete documentation of the structure is available.

While from afar Candi Sojiwan’s rooftop stupas are undoubtedly eye-catching, ancient
architecture enthusiasts are particularly drawn to the relief panels adorning the temple’s base.
Inspired by the Jataka tales – a collection of stories about the previous lives and rebirths of
Gautama Buddha – these ancient works of art, or at least most of them, fortunately survived
the elements, the natural disasters, and the social upheavals on Java over the course of
centuries. I had almost zero knowledge about these stories, which was why upon my visit I
made sure to take clear shots of most of the panels so when I got home I could match these
with reliable online sources. This reconstruction of the ninth-century Buddhist temple was
completed in 2011

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Standing tall again after centuries in a ruined state

Distinctively Buddhist stupas of Candi Sojiwan

Kalpavriksha, a wish-fulfilling tree often found at Hindu and Buddhist temples/High

reliefs of Gana, dwarf-like creatures often depicted in a position of supporting a
temple’s base

First, a relief depicting two men. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much information about it
except for some suggestions that this was inspired by a chapter in Kathasaritsagara. The
problem with this theory is, this collection of tales and legends is an 11 th-century creation,
while Candi Sojiwan was built two centuries earlier. Next, a panel of a monkey and a
crocodile. This tells a story of a bodhisattva (a being on the path to Buddhahood) in the form
of a monkey who outsmarts a cunning crocodile trying to eat it. The crocodile tells the
monkey that there are delicious fruits across the river, and it offers the simian a ride, only to
eat it later. But en route, the monkey tells the crocodile that its heart is hung at one of the
trees on the other side of the river. Believing the monkey’s story, the crocodile takes it across
safely and the monkey immediately runs away from danger. Probably the lesson here is to
always use our wit especially in the most pressing situations.

Another panel depicts two friends: a bull called Syatrabah and a lion. But because of a
provocation by a wolf called Dimnah, the two become suspicious of one another and start a
fight until they both die. This lesson teaches us to be careful of who we listen to and to never
trust a warmonger. On another side of the temple, a relief panel shows a man called
Bhimaparakrama who’s about to be attacked by a lion. But thanks to the sword and the shield
he carries, the lion runs away. Maybe this tells us to always be prepared for the worst in life.

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Other panels show a multitude of animals and celestial creatures, from kinnara (a part human
and part bird often associated with music and love), to a goose and a turtle, a Garuda and
another turtle, a mouse and a snake, an elephant and a goat, and my favorite… a wolf and a
bull. As the story goes, a wolf follows a bull because it is attracted to the bull’s testicles,
thinking they were fruits.

What’s really fascinating about Candi Sojiwan is despite the very simple depictions of
characters in each relief panel, and the worn-out state of some carvings, most are fortunately
still decipherable today. We can still learn a thing or two from those stories, although the rest
is anyone’s guess. Maybe one day, when we’ve managed to gather more knowledge from the
past, we can finally understand the full meaning of these reliefs that currently leave us with
more questions than answers.

The panel to the bottom left depicts the enigmatic two-men scene

When a monkey outsmarts a crocodile/A lion and a bull killing each other because of a
provocation from a wolf

A kinnara (a celestial being found in Buddhist and Hindu mythologies)/A man thwarting a lion

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This 27-meter temple is hard to miss amid the low-rise houses nearby

The temple viewed from the main entrance

Trees of the Song of India (Dracaena reflexa) in the temple’s ground, echoing Buddhism’s
roots in the Indian Subcontinent.