Vihara Buddhagaya - Semarang, Central Java

Vihara Buddhagaya Watugong

Vihara Buddhagaya Watugong is a budhist temple that located in hilly area of South Semarang. It can be reach for about 45 minutes from Solo and Yogyakarta.
This temple complex is standing above 2,25 ha with 5 main buildings. It said that this temple is the first temple in case of Buddhist spread in Java island after the ruin of Majapahit.

There are 2 main building in this comples, which is Avalokitesvara Pagoda and Dhammasala Vihara. Avalokitesvara Pagoda has 45 meters high, and becomes the most outstanding building of all, and it is also dedicated as the tallest pagoda in Indonesia sinc 2006.

This outstanding pagoda dominantly has yellow and red color and it has 7 stairs, which simbolized the purity of the solitary. At the inside of the building, in the first floor, there is a huge Kwan Im goddess statue and her altar for the worship.

While, in Dhammasala Vihara is has 2 stairs and it was build since 1955. This building is dominated by gold color and it has Paticca Samuppada relief along the wall, which tells about the learning process of human's life, it starts from the born to the death.
For the visitors who come to this temple should do ritual, which is about to step the relief of chicken, snake and pig at the entrance door. According to their belief, chicken is simbolizing greediness, snakes is simbolizing hatred, while pig is simbolizing the laziness.

Instead of being worship place, this vihara is also becomes the social activity for those who are unfortunate, like giving food and clothes for other's religion followers