Mendut Temple is related to Borobudur Temple and Pawon Temple. The three temples are located in a straight line north-south.
Not yet certainty when the Mendut Temple was built, but J.G. de Casparis suspects that Mendut Temple was built by the first king of the Syailendra dynasty in 824 AD The allegation is based on the contents of the Karangtengah Inscription (824 AD), which states that Raja Indra had made a sacred building called Wenuwana.
Casparis defines Wenuwana (bamboo forest) as Mendut Temple. It is estimated that the age of Mendut temple is older than the age of Borobudur Temple.
Mendut Temple has a rectangular base plan. The total height of the building is 26.40 m. The body of this temple stands on a batur as high as about 2 m. On the batur surface there is a fairly wide hallway and is equipped with a ledge. The foot wall of the temple is decorated with 31 panels containing various relief stories, beautiful flower carvings and tendrils.
In some places along the outer wall of the ledge there are jaladwara or channels to remove water from the corridor. Jaladwara is found in most temples in Central Java and Yogyakarta, such as in Barabudhur Temple, Banyuniba Temple, Prambanan Temple and on the Ratu Boko Site. Jaladwara in each temple has a different shape.
The stairs to the hall are located on the west side, right in front of the entrance to the room in the body of the temple. The entrance to the room in the body of the temple is equipped with a viewer jutting out. The roof of the viewer is the same height and blends with the roof of the temple's body. There are no gates or door frames on the front wall of the viewing booth. The chamber itself is in the form of a hallway with an elongated cavity ceiling with a triangular cross section.
The cheek walls of the stairs are adorned with several sculptured panels that illustrate various stories. The base of the stairs' cheeks are adorned with a pair of dragon heads whose mouths are wide open, while inside their mouths are an animal that resembles a lion. Beneath the dragon's head is a panel that resembles a dwarf creature similar to Gana.
The roof of the temple consists of three cubes which are arranged increasingly up and down, similar to the roof of the temples in the Dieng and Gedongsongo Temple Complex. Around the cubes are decorated with 48 small stupas. The top of the roof is gone so that its original form is no longer known.
In the southern corner, on the side yard of Mendut Temple there are rubble stones that are being identified and tried to be reconstructed.
source: pnri.go.id
Source: http://www.candi.web.id/candi-mendut/
Photo: Special
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