Plaosan monastery/nunnery, (near) Bugisan, Jawa Tengah, ID

Raw data

"Candi Plaosan, also known as Plaosan Complex, is one of the Buddhist temples located in Bugisan village, Prambanan district, Central Java, Indonesia. It is easily accessible from Yogyakarta by Surakarta road. Candi Plaosan covers an area of 2,000 square meters with an elevation of 148 meters above sea level. The location is at longitude 7° 44' 13 " South and latitude 110° 30' 11.07" East. The Dengok River is located nearby, about 200 meters away. Candi Plaosan is surrounded by paddy fields along with fertile vegetation such as banana and corn. […] Lat -7.740278, Long 110.504444]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candi_Plaosan

Bugisan, Indonesia Page
World:Indonesia:Propinsi Jawa Tengah
Lat -7.7397 Long 110.5006
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/ID/07/Bugisan2.html

See also Long 2005b.

"Plaosan Temple is situated in Bugisan Village, Prambanan Sub-district, Klaten District, 1.5 kilometers to the east of Sewu Temple. The temple is an ancient building compound comprising of two building complexes, Plaosan Lor Temple complex (lor is a Javanese word that means north) and Plaosan Kidul Temple complex (kidul is a Javanese word for south). The relief sculptures seen at the compound are fine and detailed, similar to sculptures found at Borobudur, Sewu and Sari Temples.
[…] Plaosan Temple, a Buddhist shrine, was built during the era of Mataram Hindu Kingdom, when Rakai Pikatan was at the helm, at the dawn of the 9th century. De Casparis, one of the proponents of the claim, based his viewpoint on the inscription on Cri Kahulunan ancient stone (842 AD). The inscription stone states that Plaosan Lor Temple was built by Queen Sri Kahulunan, with the support from her husband. De Casparis argued further that Sri Kahulunan was a designation entitled to Pramodhawardani, the daughter of King Samarattungga of Syailendra Dynasty. The princess, a Buddhist, married Rakai Pikatan of Sanjaya Dynasty, who was a Hindu. 
Other experts argue that Plaosan Temple was built before Rakai Pikatan reigned. Anggraeni, a proponent of the claim, believed that Sri Kahulunan, instead of a princess, was Rakai Garung, the predecessor of Rakai Pikatan, who once ruled Mataram. The era of Rakai Pikatan was too short to build a temple as big as Plaosan. Rakai Pikatan, however, built the ancillary temple after the main temple was erected. 
In October 2003, an inscription-bearing gold sheet was discovered in the surroundings of an ancillary temple in Plaosan Kidul Temple complex. It is estimated that the inscription was made in the 9th century AD. The sheet is 18.5 centimeters in length and 2.2 centimeters in width and the inscription is in Sanskrit written in old Javanese letters. Although the translation of the inscription has yet come to an end, Tjahjono Prasodjo, the epigrapher who deciphers the inscription, believes that the inscription support the claim that Plaosan Temple was built during Rakai Pikatan era. 

Plaosan Lor  (North Palosan)
Plaosan Lor is a large complex of temples. [… with] 6 big stupas […]
At the center of this temple complex, there are two two-storied buildings that constitute the main temple. The two buildings face west, each surrounded by stone wall. […] The wall of the south temple [building] carries relief of male figures, while that of the north temple depicts female figures. The south temple [building] was probably a monastery for bhikkus while the north one for bhikkunis. 

Plaosan Kidul (South Plaosan)
Plaosan Kidul Temple is located to the south of Plaosan Lor, separated by a road. While the main temples of Palosan Lor still stand firm, their counterpart in Plaosan Kidul have crumbled, leaving only a number of 'candi perwara' (ancillary temples) […]." (PNRI 2000: http://candi.pnri.go.id/jawa_tengah_yogyakarta/plaosan/e_plaosan.htm
Input by: tmciolek, Jul 27, 2010

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 31 Jan 2013

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Candi Plaosan monastery/nunnery, ID.

General location of the Candi Plaosan monastery/nunnery, ID.
Lat -7.740278, Long 110.504444
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2010.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=-7.740278+110.504444+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Candi%20Plaosan%20monastery/nunnery,%20ID)&ll=-7.740278,110.504444&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Candi Plaosan monastery/nunnery

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Indonesia:Propinsi Jawa Tengah

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

  • [missing data]

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates


5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries


6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

  • [missing data]

8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • [missing data]

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • MBM chrono-tag 0833-66p - tmciolek 12 Dec 2012
  • 0833-66p 0867-99p 0900-32p dated-e

12. Date-intermediate

  • [missing data]

13. Date-late

  • [missing data]

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • architectural

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

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