Gedong Songo Temple, The Sacred Temple Above The Hill

Gedong Songo Temple

Gedong Songo is the name of complex buildings of Hindu temple cultural heritage which located in the Candi Villagee, Bandungan district, Semarang regency, Central Java, Indonesia precisely in the slopes of Mount Ungaran. In this temple complex there are nine temples (Javanese; Gedong Songo means nine building).

The temples were built between 730 and 780 BC, the first temple excepted, which have been built some 30 years later. Gunung Songo is not the original name and also doesn't point at the number of structures. The number nine has a special meaning in the Javanese culture, in which there is a strong attachment to numbers. The temples are located at about the same distance from each other (100 meters, 200 meters) on a naturally formed terrace of edge of a mountain

These temples was discovered by the Raffles in 1804 and it was Hindu cultural heritage from the era of Wangsa Syailendra 9th century (927 years BC).

The location of nine temples scattered on the slopes of Mount Ungaran which has beautiful natural scenery. In some locations there are also neat pine forests and springs that contain sulfur.

Gedong Songo is one of the most beautifully sited temple complexes in Central Java and the views alone are worth the trip. This temple is similar to the Dieng temple complex in Wonosobo. The temple is situated at an altitude of about 1,200 m above sea level so the air temperature is cold here, ranging between 19-27° C. They were also built high in the mountains in an area full with volcanic activity; and they were also from Hinduist origin. But where the temples on Dieng Plateau are somewhat squeezed into a foggy valley, Gedung Songo are spread over the higher parts of the mountains, which guarantee a splendid view. On clear days, the horizon is one long row of volcanoes, from mount Lawu in the east, towards mount Sumbing, mount Sundoro and Dieng Plateau in the west.



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