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{{Short description|8th-century Buddhist site in Central Java, Indonesia}}
{{for|[[Districts of Indonesia|the district]] with same name|Kalasan (district)}}
{{Infobox historic building
| image            = Kalasan Temple from the north-east, 23 November 2013.jpg
| caption          = Kalasan Temple
| name             = Kalasan Temple <br> Candi Kalasan <br> {{Jav|ꦕꦟ꧀ꦝꦶꦏꦭꦱꦤ꧀}}
| map_type         = Indonesia Java#Indonesia
| map_size         = 258
| coordinates      = {{coord|-7.767311|110.472335|display=inline}}
| location_town    = Kalasan, [[Sleman Regency]], [[Special Region of Yogyakarta]]
| location_country = [[Indonesia]]
| architect        = 
| client           = [[Sailendra]]
| engineer         = 
| construction_start_date = 
| completion_date  = circa 8th century
| date_demolished  = 
| cost             = 
| structural_system = 
| style            = Buddhist [[candi of Indonesia|candi]]
| size             = 
}}
'''Kalasan''' ({{langx|id|Candi Kalasan}}, [[Javanese language|Javanese]]: ꦕꦟ꧀ꦝꦶꦏꦭꦱꦤ꧀, ''Candhi Kalasan''), also known as '''Candi Kalibening''', is an 8th-century [[Buddhist temple]] in [[Java]], [[Indonesia]]. It is located {{convert|13|km|sp=us}} east of [[Yogyakarta (city)|Yogyakarta]] on the way to [[Prambanan]] temple, on the south side of Jalan Solo main road (part of [[Indonesian National Route 15]]) between Yogyakarta and [[Surakarta]]. Administratively, it is located in the Kalasan District (''kapanewon'') of [[Sleman Regency]].

==History==
According to the [[Kalasan inscription]] dated 778 AD, written in [[Sanskrit]] using [[Nāgarī script|Pranagari script]], the temple was erected by the will of ''Guru Sang Raja Sailendravamçatilaka'' (the Jewel of [[Sailendra|the Sailendra]] family) who succeeded in persuading [[Panangkaran|Maharaja Tejapurnapana Panangkaran]] (in another part of the inscription also called Kariyana Panangkaran) to construct ''Tarabhavanam'', a holy building for the goddess (boddhisattvadevi) [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tara]].<ref name=Coedes>{{cite book|last= Coedès|first= George|author-link= George Coedès|editor= Walter F. Vella|others= trans.Susan Brown Cowing|title= The Indianized States of Southeast Asia|year= 1968|publisher= University of Hawaii Press|isbn= 978-0-8248-0368-1}}</ref>{{rp|89}}

In addition, a [[Vihara]] ([[monastery]]) was built for [[Buddhist monks]] from the Sailendra family's realm. Panangkaran awarded the Kalaça village to [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]] (Buddhist monastic community).<ref>Soetarno, Drs. R. second edition (2002). "Aneka Candi Kuno di Indonesia" (Ancient Temples in Indonesia), pp. 41. Dahara Prize. Semarang. {{ISBN|979-501-098-0}}.</ref> According to the date of this inscription, Kalasan temple is the oldest of the temples built in the [[Prambanan Plain]].

Despite being renovated and partially rebuilt during the Dutch colonial era, the temple is currently in poor condition. Compared to other temples nearby such as Prambanan, [[Candi Sewu|Sewu]], and [[Sambisari]] the temple is not well maintained.

==Architecture==
[[File:Kalasan Kala.jpg|thumb|left|The giant Kala's head on the southern door]]
[[File:Kalasan Niche.jpg|thumb|One of the niches on the wall of Kalasan temple adorned with carvings of Kala giant and scene of deities in svargaloka]]
The temple stands on a square 14.20 meters sub-basement. The temple plan is cross-shaped, and designed as a twelve-cornered polygon. Each of the four cardinal points has stairs and gates adorned with Kala-Makara and rooms measuring 3,5 square meters. No statue is to be found in the smaller rooms facing north, west, and south; but the lotus pedestals suggest that the rooms once contained statues of [[Bodhisattvas]]. 
The temple is richly decorated with Buddhist figures such as the Bodhisattva and [[Gana]]. The [[Kala (Java)|Kala]] Face above the southern door has been photographed and used by several foreign academics in their books to give an idea of the artistry in stone by Central Javanese artists of a millennia ago. Niches where the statues would have been placed are found inside and outside the temple. The niches adorned an outer wall intricately carved with Kala, gods, and divinities in scenes depicting the [[svarga]]loka, the celestial palace of the gods, [[apsaras]], and [[gandharvas]].

The roof of the temple is designed in three sections. The lower one is still according to the polygonal shape of the body and contains small niches with statues of bodhisattvas seated on a lotus. Each of these niches is crowned with stupas. The middle part of the roof is [[octagon|an octagon]]al (eight-sided) shape. Each of these eight sides adorned with niches contains a statue of a [[Dhyani Buddha]] flanked by two standing bodhisattvas.<ref>Soetarno, Drs. R. second edition (2002). "Aneka Candi Kuno di Indonesia" (Ancient Temples in Indonesia), pp. 45. Dahara Prize. Semarang. {{ISBN|979-501-098-0}}.</ref> The top part of the roof is almost circular and also has 8 niches crowned with a single large [[stupa|dagoba]]. The octagonal aspect of the structure has led to speculation of non-Buddhist elements in the temple, similar to some interpretations of the early [[Borobudur]] structure.

The temple is facing east, with the eastern room also serving as access to the main central room. In the larger main room, there is a lotus pedestal and throne carved with makara, lion, and elephant figures, similar to the Buddha [[Vairocana]] throne found in [[Mendut]] temple. According to the Kalasan inscription, the temple once houses the large (probably reaching 4 meters tall) statue of the Boddhisattvadevi Tara. By the design of the throne, most probably the statue of the goddess was in a seated position and made from bronze.<ref>{{cite book | author= Drs. R. Soekmono| title= Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2|edition=2nd | publisher = Penerbit Kanisius |orig-year=1973| date=1988 | location =Yogyakarta| page =43 }}</ref> Now the statue is missing, probably the same fate as the bronze Buddha statue in Sewu temple, being looted for scrap metal over centuries.

On the outer wall of the temple found traces of plaster called ''vajralepa'' (lit: diamond plaster). The same substance was also found in the nearby [[Candi Sari|Sari]] temple. The white-yellowish plaster was applied to protect the temple wall, but now the plaster has worn off.

The temple is located on the archaeologically rich Prambanan plain. Just a few hundred meters northeast of Kalasan temple is located Sari temple. Candi Sari was most probably the monastery mentioned in the Kalasan inscription. Further east lies the Prambanan complex, Sewu temple, and [[Candi Plaosan|Plaosan]] temple.

==In popular culture==
* In December 2016, the fourth expansion of the popular [[real-time strategy]] PC game from Microsoft, [[Age of Empires II]] titled '''''Rise of the Rajas''''' featured Candi Kalasan as the Wonder of the Malay civilization featured in-game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.forgottenempires.net/age-of-empires-2-hd-rise-of-the-rajas/civilizations/malay|title=Malay {{!}} Forgotten Empires|website=www.forgottenempires.net|access-date=2017-01-16}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Borobudur]]
* [[Buddhism in Indonesia]]
* [[Candi of Indonesia]]
* [[Candi Mendut]]
* [[Candi Plaosan]]
* [[Candi Sari]]
* [[Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism]]
* [[Kalasan inscription]] (778)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Holt, Claire. (1967) ''Art in Indonesia : continuities and change''. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. {{ISBN|0-8014-0188-7}}
* {{Citation | author1=Roy E. Jordaan | title=The Tārā temple of Kalasan in Central Java | publication-date=1998 | publisher=PERSEE | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/15646164 | access-date=15 January 2014 }}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.berhatinyaman.com/kalasan-temple/ Kalasan Temple]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090603084300/http://www.borobudurpark.co.id/en-kalasan.html Official site]

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{{Buddhist Temples in Indonesia}}
{{Indonesia topics}}

[[Category:Buddhist temples in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Shailendra dynasty]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Sleman Regency]]
[[Category:Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Yogyakarta]]
[[Category:8th-century Buddhist temples]]