The temple whose real name is Wishnubhawanapura was estimated to have been built in the 14th century to glorify Bhre Wengker, a king from the Kingdom of Wengker who was under the rule of the Majapahit Kingdom.
Raja Wengker died in 1388 AD In Negarakertagama, it was told that in 1361 Raja Hayam Wuruk from Majapahit had visited and even stayed at Surawana Temple.
The size of Surawana Temple is not too big, only 8 X 8 m2. The temple, which was entirely built using andesite stone, is a Syiwa temple.
At present the entire body and roof of the temple have been destroyed without trace. Only the foot of the temple as high as about 3 m is still standing in its place. To go up the hall at the foot of the temple there is a narrow staircase located on the west side. Judging from the location of the stairs, it can be concluded that this temple faces west.
Like the one in Rimbi Temple, the foot of Surawana Temple looks like a double decker, divided by protruding seams. The part of the foot which is located above the seams rather protrudes inward so that its size becomes smaller compared to the lower leg.
Unlike the one in Rimbi Temple, relief panels that contain various stories are not only neatly lined up around the bottom of the temple's foot. The upper leg of the temple is even filled with relief panels in a larger size and with finer sculptures.
The relief in the lower leg tells the stories of Tantri, while those in the upper part of the foot contain the story of Sri Tanjung, Arjunawiwaha, and the story of Bubuksah and Crow Aking. Such stories are found in temples that were built for maintenance purposes, such as Bajangratu Temple in Trowulan and Tegawangi Temple, which is also located in Pare.
Seeing the environment that has been arranged neatly, it seems that Surawana temple has experienced renovation. However, the results are still far from perfect, considering that currently only the foot of the temple is left. In the temple courtyard there are still many stones and statues that have not been successfully returned to their original place. The stones and statues are arranged neatly on the lanes made of cement to prevent the process of damage by water absorption.
Source: http://candi.pnri.go.id/jawa_timur/index.htm
Photo: Special
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