Candi Surawana
Encyclopedia
Surawana is a Hindu temple, of the Majapahit Kingdom, located in the Canggu village of the Kediri
near Pare district in East Java
, Indonesia
. It was believed to have been built in 1390 AD as a memorial to Wijayarajasa, the Prince of Wengker. As of today the temple is not fully intact. Only the base of the temple has been restored to its original form and many more bricks are waiting around the structure to be reassembled.
Surawana is adorned with many different reliefs, and many of them extend around the whole building. The stories depicted on the walls are made in a way that reflects the direction in which they are facing. For example, The Arjunawiwaha story starts on the East facing wall, then stops and restarts on the Northeast facing wall. Then it continues along the North wall and skips the East and heads down to the South and continues, in the opposite direction, to the West. Everything depicted in the reliefs have to do with the direction. Carvings facing the East, which is the direction of the rising sun and a sacred mountain (3), are the parts of the stories with more religious scenes. The carvings facing the West are more to do with demons, monsters, battles and death. The Arjunawiwaha is a continuous narrative with many different frames, but at some points it is interrupted by the Sri Tanjung and Bubuksha stories which appear on the corners on vertical panels. The panels were considered part of the original story until identified in 1939 (3).
to serve Shiva
, on the sides of the temple. They are shown holding up the building with their extended arms. They are similar to the figures shown on the structures at Candi Jawi. Also shown around the ganas are sculptures with earrings, a breastplate, necklace, jeweled belt, bracelet, armbands, and anklets. When the Majapahit Kingdom flourished, there were more contemporary aesthetic representations such as these (3).
On the base of the structure is eighteen horizontal plaques, night vertical panels, and in the middle was a plain band, which was the midsection of the temple. The stairs on the temple have nagas and makaras which are flat, ornamental reliefs in the shape of triangles and animals with their tails turning into elaborate arabesques. (3)
One of the most famous stories of all time is Arjunawiwaha. It is decorated on about six different sites in East Java. (3) It usually is on the subject of theater, dance dramas, and paintings and is still very popular. At Candi Surawana, it is on relief panels surrounding the foot of the monument. The story was composed in 1035 by a Javanese poet going by the name of Mpu Kanwa. The story was originally inspired by the Mahabharata
and based upon the Kiratarjunya, written by Bharavi. This particular version of the story is modeled after King Airlangga
and personifies the perfect king. (3) The perfect king would be a noble demeanor, brave and victorious in war, and be sexually irresistible. The Arijunawiwaha has three sections to it. Arjuna’s meditation, Niwatanawalan Battle, and Arjuna’s Reward into Heaven. In the first section Arjuna
is tested three times by the gods. In the second section he is assisted in his battle by Suprabha. In the last section he marries seven heavenly nymphs. This relief is one that wraps around the entire structure and starts at the east wall. It continues to the north side, but then turns back to the east. It passes where the original three scenes are and continues on the west wall and then to the south.
Kediri
Kediri or Kadiri was a Hindu Javanese Kingdom based in East Java from 1042 to around 1222. Despite the lack of archaeological remains, the age of Kediri saw much development in classical literature....
near Pare district in East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It was believed to have been built in 1390 AD as a memorial to Wijayarajasa, the Prince of Wengker. As of today the temple is not fully intact. Only the base of the temple has been restored to its original form and many more bricks are waiting around the structure to be reassembled.
History
Surawana temple was built in 1390 AD but was not "officially" completed until its inception in 1400. It was built as a memorial for Wijayarajasa, the Prince of Wengker. He was Rajasanagara’s uncle as a result of marriage and he was a great influence of power. Some believe that this did not start out as a monument to the prince, but just a structure that he commissioned. That is why the dates differ when it comes to when it was completed. The sraddha ceremony, which is a ritual funeral ceremony, was held in 1400 which is why some speculate to actual completion date. Not much is known about the history after that or how it came to become dismantled, but today it stands in the small village of Canggu, in the Kediri district right out of Pare. As of right now specialists are trying to reconstruct the base to its original stateDesign
Surawana temple is a moderately sized temple with a base that is 7.8 square meters and is 4.6 meters high. The foot is the only existing piece or art still remaining on the structure itself. On the base there is a graduated projection that holds the stairs to the cella (3), which is an inner chamber of the temple. The structure is made to face west just like most East Javanese temples.Surawana is adorned with many different reliefs, and many of them extend around the whole building. The stories depicted on the walls are made in a way that reflects the direction in which they are facing. For example, The Arjunawiwaha story starts on the East facing wall, then stops and restarts on the Northeast facing wall. Then it continues along the North wall and skips the East and heads down to the South and continues, in the opposite direction, to the West. Everything depicted in the reliefs have to do with the direction. Carvings facing the East, which is the direction of the rising sun and a sacred mountain (3), are the parts of the stories with more religious scenes. The carvings facing the West are more to do with demons, monsters, battles and death. The Arjunawiwaha is a continuous narrative with many different frames, but at some points it is interrupted by the Sri Tanjung and Bubuksha stories which appear on the corners on vertical panels. The panels were considered part of the original story until identified in 1939 (3).
Decoration
The surface of the temple is decorated with many reliefs. It also has ganas, or servants chosen by GaneshaGanesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
to serve Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, on the sides of the temple. They are shown holding up the building with their extended arms. They are similar to the figures shown on the structures at Candi Jawi. Also shown around the ganas are sculptures with earrings, a breastplate, necklace, jeweled belt, bracelet, armbands, and anklets. When the Majapahit Kingdom flourished, there were more contemporary aesthetic representations such as these (3).
On the base of the structure is eighteen horizontal plaques, night vertical panels, and in the middle was a plain band, which was the midsection of the temple. The stairs on the temple have nagas and makaras which are flat, ornamental reliefs in the shape of triangles and animals with their tails turning into elaborate arabesques. (3)
Reliefs
The reliefs there range from whole stories to just simple depictions of everyday life. Three of the major reliefs on the building were the Arjunawiwaha, Sri Tanjung, and Babuksha and Gagang Aking. Some smaller stories were usually ones with morals and quick lessons. A couple examples would be “Crocodile and Bull,” “Heron, Fish, and Crab,” and “Frog and Snake.” In the “Heron, Fish, and Crab” story, the characters learn a very valuable lesson. The bird in the story is wearing a headdress to try to disguise himself as a shaman so that he can go and catch fish. He starts examining three fish when he is attacked by the crab that starts to pinch his neck. The crab sees that the heron has disguised himself to confuse the fish so he pinched him to death. Many of the short stories like this have moral lessons in the end.One of the most famous stories of all time is Arjunawiwaha. It is decorated on about six different sites in East Java. (3) It usually is on the subject of theater, dance dramas, and paintings and is still very popular. At Candi Surawana, it is on relief panels surrounding the foot of the monument. The story was composed in 1035 by a Javanese poet going by the name of Mpu Kanwa. The story was originally inspired by the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
and based upon the Kiratarjunya, written by Bharavi. This particular version of the story is modeled after King Airlangga
Airlangga
Airlangga was the only raja of the Kingdom of Kahuripan, which was built out of the rubble of the Kingdom of Medang after the Srivijaya invasion...
and personifies the perfect king. (3) The perfect king would be a noble demeanor, brave and victorious in war, and be sexually irresistible. The Arijunawiwaha has three sections to it. Arjuna’s meditation, Niwatanawalan Battle, and Arjuna’s Reward into Heaven. In the first section Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
is tested three times by the gods. In the second section he is assisted in his battle by Suprabha. In the last section he marries seven heavenly nymphs. This relief is one that wraps around the entire structure and starts at the east wall. It continues to the north side, but then turns back to the east. It passes where the original three scenes are and continues on the west wall and then to the south.