Pura Maospahit

Last updated
Pura Maospahit
Pura Maospahit Denpasar Bali.jpg
The 13th-century main shrine of Pura Maospahit, the first building to be built in the temple complex.
Pura Maospahit
General information
Type Pura
Architectural styleBalinese
Location Denpasar, Indonesia
AddressJl. Sutomo No.6, Pemecutan Kaja, Denpasar Utara, Kota Denpasar, Bali 80231
CountryIndonesia
Coordinates 8°39′14″S115°12′36″E / 8.653794°S 115.210089°E / -8.653794; 115.210089 Coordinates: 8°39′14″S115°12′36″E / 8.653794°S 115.210089°E / -8.653794; 115.210089
Estimated completion1278
Design and construction
ArchitectSri Kbo Iwa

Pura Maospahit is a Balinese Hindu temple or pura located in Denpasar, Bali. The pura is known for its bare red brick architecture, reminiscent of the architecture of the 13th-century Majapahit Kingdom, hence the name. Pura Maospahit is the only pura in Bali which was built using a concept known as Panca Mandala where the most sacred area is situated at the center instead of at the direction of the mountain. [1]

Contents

History

The history of Pura Maospahit is recorded in the Babad Wongayah Dalem, a stone inscription mentioning the story of Sri Kbo Iwa, an architect of Balinese religious architecture. Sri Kbo Iwa built a shrine structure known as the Candi Raras Maospahit, in 1200 Saka year (or 1278 Gregorian calendar). The Candi Raras Maospahit is mentioned as a "pelinggih (shrine) in the form of a large red-brick building with two terracota statues flanking the main entrance". Today, the red-brick building Candi Raras Maospahit still exists and become the main shrine of the Pura Maospahit temple complex. [1]

During the reign of the kingdom of Badung in Denpasar, I Pasek the architect was instructed to construct another candi to be used for wayang performance. Before the construction commenced, I Pasek went to Majapahit to study the proper proportion of the new shrine. After I Pasek completed the design of the new shrine, he returned to Denpasar and construct the new shrine in 1475 Saka yar (or year 1553) known as the Candi Raras Majapahit. The building stands beside the earlier Candi Raras Maospahit. [1]

Temple compound

A candi bentar split gate marking the entrance to the middle sanctum, the jaba tengah. DenpasarPuraMaospahit.JPG
A candi bentar split gate marking the entrance to the middle sanctum, the jaba tengah.

Pura Maospahit is the only temple in Bali that was built using the concept of Panca Mandala. Unlike most Balinese Hindu which is arranged with the most sacred inner sanctum (jero) to the direction of the mountain, [2] [3] the Panca Mandala concept places the most sacred jero area at the center of the temple complex. This form of arrangement is similar to the ancient temples of Majapahit or to the kraton palaces of ancient Java. Pura Maospahit is surrounded by five mandalas or courtyard (panca mandala literally means "five mandalas"). The first mandala is located to the west of the main shrine, access to this mandala is marked by a red-brick kori agung gate facing Jalan Sutomo, known as the Candi Kusuma. A bale kulkul (drum tower) is situated in the first mandala. The second mandala to the south of the main shrine is marked by a kori agung gate known as Candi Renggat, which provides access to the second mandala. [1]

The third mandala, known as jaba sisi is located to the west of the shrine and can be accessed through a gate known as Candi Rebah. The third mandala is where the kitchen of the temple compound is located used to prepare offerings to the shrine. [1]

The fourth mandala known as jaba tengah or madya mandala can be accessed through a candi bentar split gate via the east side of the third mandala courtyard. The fourth mandala was used to display sacred art which is only shown during festivals in Pura Maospahit. The fourth mandala is where several bale (Balinese pavilion) is located e.g. bale pesucian (purification pavilion), bale tajuk, and bale sumanggen. [1]

The fifth mandala known as the jero or the utamaning mandala ("main mandala") is the center most sacred mandala where the main shrines are located: the red-bricked Candi Raras Maospahit and Candi Raras Majapahit. Each of the shrines are dedicated to Ratu Ayu Mas Maospahit and to Ida Bhatara Lingsir Sakti. Other pelinggih shrines similarly built in red bricks and thatched roof dotted the utamaning mandala, each is dedicated toward a local deity. [1]

Temple festival

The biannual piodalan/pujawali festival of the temple is held every Purnama Jyestha to honor Ratu Ayu Mas Maospahit, and every Purnama Kalima to honor Ida Bhatara Lingsir Sakti. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gelgel is a village (desa) in the regency (kabupaten) of Klungkung, on Bali, Indonesia. The village, near the coast four kilometers south of the regency capital Semarapura, contains a number of structures of cultural interest, and is known for its pottery and handwoven ceremonial songket cloth. The height of the village's power came during the kingdom of Gelgel, which dominated Bali from around the early 16th century to 1686. There are no traces left today of the old royal palace (puri). The old ancestral shrine of the ruling dynasti, Pura Jero Agung, is still standing in the old palace area. To the east of Pura Jero Agung is another old temple, Pura Dasar, which is a lowland counterpart of the "mother temple" of Bali, Pura Besakih. The village also contains the oldest mosque in Bali, which was built by Javanese retainers of the old kings.

Pura Ulun Danu Batur Balinese Hindu temple in Indonesia

Pura Ulun Danu Batur is a Hindu Balinese temple located in the island of Bali, Indonesia. As one of the Pura Kahyangan Jagat, Pura Ulun Danu Batur is one of the most important temples in Bali which acted as the maintainer of harmony and stability of the entire island. Pura Ulun Danu Batur represents the direction of North and is dedicated to the god Vishnu and the local goddess Dewi Danu, goddess of Lake Batur, the largest lake in Bali. Following the destruction of the original temple compound, the temple was relocated and rebuilt in 1926. The temple, along with 3 other sites in Bali, form the Cultural Landscape of Bali Province which was inscribed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.

Balinese temple

A pura is a Balinese Hindu temple, and the place of worship for adherents of Balinese Hinduism in Indonesia. Puras are built in accordance to rules, style, guidance and rituals found in Balinese architecture. Most puras are found on the island of Bali, where Hinduism is the predominant religion; however many puras exist in other parts of Indonesia where significant numbers of Balinese people reside. Mother Temple of Besakih is the most important, largest and holiest temple in Bali. Many puras have been built in Bali, leading it to be titled "the Island of a Thousand Puras".

Balinese architecture

Balinese architecture is a vernacular architecture tradition of Balinese people that inhabits volcanic island of Bali, Indonesia. The Balinese architecture is a centuries-old architectural tradition influenced by Balinese culture developed from Hindu influences through ancient Javanese intermediary, as well as pre-Hindu elements of native Balinese architecture.

Candi bentar Type of gate in Indonesian architecture

Candi bentar, or split gateway, is a classical Javanese and Balinese gateway entrance commonly found at the entrance of religious compounds, kraton palaces, or cemeteries in Indonesia. It is basically a candi-like structure split perfectly in two to create a passage in the center for people to walk through. The passage is usually elevated with a flight of stairs to reach it. A candi bentar is commonly found in Java, Bali, and Lombok.

Pura Meduwe Karang

Pura Meduwe Karang or Pura Maduwe Karang is a Balinese temple located in Kubutambahan, around 12 km east of Singaraja in Buleleng Regency, northern Bali. It is considered as one of the principle temples of Bali, due to its size. Pura Meduwe Karang is noted for its statues and flowery style of decoration characteristic of North Bali.

Trunyan

Trunyan or Terunyan is a Balinese village (banjar) located on the eastern shore of Lake Batur, a caldera lake in Bangli Regency, central Bali, Indonesia. The village is one of the most notable homes of the Bali Aga people, the others being the villages of Tenganan and Sambiran. Trunyan is notable for its peculiar treatment of dead bodies, in which they are placed openly on the ground, simply covered with cloth and bamboo canopies, and left to decompose. The influence of a nearby tree is said to remove the putrid smell of the corpses.

Paduraksa

Paduraksa, also known as kori is a type of gateway covered with towering roof that can be found in the island of Java and Bali, Indonesia. This architectural feature is commonly found in buildings from the classical Hindu-Buddhist period of Indonesia. Paduraksa marks the threshold into the most sacred space within a religious compound, a cemetery, or a palace. In Balinese architecture, an elaborately decorated towering paduraksa is often built as the temple's most imposing structure.

Meru tower

A Meru tower or pelinggih meru is the principal shrine of a Balinese temple. It is a wooden, pagoda-like structure with a masonry base, a wooden chamber and multi-tiered thatched roofs. The height of Meru towers represent the Hindu Mount Meru. Meru towers are usually dedicated to either the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon, the local pantheon, or a deified person.

Pura Griya Sakti is a Balinese Hindu temple located in the village of Manuaba, Kenderan administrative village, Tegalalang subdistrict, Gianyar Regency, Bali. The district is known for its woodcarving and its terraced rice field. The small village of Manuaba is about 4 km north of Kenderan or about 2.5 km southwest of the town of Tampaksiring with its famed Gunung Kawi temple. Pura Griya Sakti is the main temple of a powerful Brahman caste in the area.

Padmasana (shrine) Indonesian Balinese Hindu temple in Germany

The padmasana (Kawi and ultimately derived from the Sanskrit term for "lotus pose" is a type of shrine in a Balinese temple. The shrine is basically shaped like an empty throne on top of a pillar. Together with the Meru towers, the padmasana is a type of shrine reserved for the most important deity in Balinese Hinduism, usually to represent the Supreme God, also known as the Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa.

Pura Kehen Balinese Hindu temple in Indonesia

Pura Kehen is a Balinese Hindu temple located in Cempaga, Bangli Regency, Bali. The temple is set on the foot of a wooded hill, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the town center. Established at least in the 13th-century, Pura Kehen was the royal temple of the Bangli Kingdom, now the Regency of Bangli.

Pura Taman Saraswati Balinese Hindu temple in Indonesia

Pura Taman Saraswati, officially Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati, also known as the Ubud Water Palace, is a Balinese Hindu temple in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. The pura is dedicated to the goddess Sarasvati. Pura Taman Saraswati is notable for its lotus pond.

Pura Goa Lawah Balinese Hindu temple in Indonesia

Pura Goa Lawah is a Balinese Hindu temple or a pura located in Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia. Pura Goa Lawah is often included among the Sad Kahyangan Jagad, or the "six sanctuaries of the world", the six holiest places of worship on Bali. Pura Goa Lawah is noted for built around a cave opening which is inhabited by bats, hence its name, the Goa Lawah or "bat cave".

Pura Dalem Sakenan is a pura located at the north-western shore of Serangan, a small island about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Denpasar, Bali. Pura Dalem Sakenan is dedicated to [rambut sedhana] and is associated with prosperity. Pura Dalem Sakenan is the focus temple of the 210-day Piodalan festival where in the past processions of pilgrims visited the island on foot or by traditional colorful wooden boats called jukung. With the construction of the bridge connecting the Serangan island with Bali as well as the reclamation of the island, the use of colorful jukung for pilgrimage has died out.

Pura Pulaki is a Balinese Hindu temple or a pura located to the west of Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia. The temple is set on flat land with rocky outcrops as the backdrop. Pura Pulaki is a pura segara or Balinese sea temples, set around the island to form a chain of temples which protect the island.

Pura Beji Sangsit

Pura Beji Sangsit is a Balinese temple or pura located in Sangsit, Buleleng, on the island of Bali, Indonesia. The village of Sangsit is located around 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of Singaraja. Pura Beji is dedicated to the rice goddess Dewi Sri, and is revered especially by the farmers around the area. Pura Beji is an example of a stereotypical northern Balinese architecture with its relatively heavier decorations than it is southern Balinese counterpart, and its typical foliage-like carvings.

Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang Balinese Hindu temple in Indonesia

Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang is a Balinese Hindu temple or pura located in the slope of Mount Lempuyang in Karangasem, Bali. Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang is considered as part of a complex of pura surrounding Mount Lempuyang, one of the highly regarded temples of Bali. The temples of Mount Lempuyang, represented by the highest pura at the peak of Mount Lempuyang, Pura Lempuyang Luhur, is one of the Sad Kahyangan Jagad, or the "six sanctuaries of the world", the six holiest places of worship on Bali.

Pura Dalem Segara Madhu

Pura Dalem Segara Madhu also known as Pura Dalem Jagaraga is a northern Balinese Hindu temple or pura located in the village of Jagaraga, Buleleng in northern Bali. It is about 11 km east of Singaraja. The village of Jagaraga is known historically as the place where the Dutch colonial government witnesses puputan or Balinese mass-suicide following their military attack on the kingdom of Bali in 1849. Pura Dalem Segara Madhu is known for its intensive wall decoration typical of northern Balinese architecture and for its unique western-influenced relief e.g. motifs of early 20th-century airplanes and automobiles.

Pura Dasar Buana Gelgel Balinese temple in Indonesia

Pura Dasar Buana is a Balinese Hindu temple or pura located in Gelgel, Bali, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Semarapura. Pura Dasar Buana is one of the Pura Dang Kahyangan Jagat, a temple which was built to honor a holy teacher of Hindu teaching. Pura Dasar Buana honored Mpu Ghana, a Brahmin who arrived to Bali from Javanese Majapahit to teach Hinduism in the island.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 I Putu Suyatra 2017.
  2. Stuart-Fox 1999, p. 47.
  3. Auger 2001, p. 98.

Cited works