Candi Pawon is a small Buddhist temple built, like Borobudur and Candi Mendut, during the Sailendra dynasty which is situated 2.1 kilometres to the east of Borobudur temple and 2.1 kilometres to the west of Mendut.

The original purpose of the temple is unclear as the name pawon means kitchen in Javanese. Dutch archaeologist J.G. de Casparis stated that the name pawon finds its origins in the word Perawuan which means dust. This has led many to speculate that the temple may have been used as the resting place for the ashes of a cremated king.

Alternative theories posit that the temple was used for food preparation (as previously mentioned the name pawon translates into the word kitchen in Javanese language) while others that I have come across state that the temple was used to store weapons for the king of the Sailendra dynasty.

Whatever the truth of the matter - and I lean toward that being the resting place of an ancient Sailendran king - I find it interesting that there are so many alternative theories being posited for the temple's original purpose.

Interestingly the temple is located in the village of Bajranalan - a name which derives from the Sanskrit words Vajra (thunder or, additionally, a Buddhist ceremonial tool) and Anala (flame or fire). This would seem to suggest that the temple is likely used as the resting place for a cremated king.

The temple

Built from volcanic rock the temple structure itself rests on a square base whose stairs (and top of the door) are adorned with carvings of Kala-Makara (a legendary sea creature from Hindu mythology) and the exterior walls of the first level feature relief carvings while the square chamber inside the temple is empty except for a square basin.

Some basic ground rules before entering the temple site :)

You won’t need to spend more than 10 minutes here as there really isn’t that much to see (even as beautiful as this small temple structure is with its various carvings and stupas) but it does make an interesting addendum to your itinerary if you are visiting the nearby Borobudur and Mendut temples.

The temple sits in the middle of Bajranalan village square and, as you might expect, there are plenty of stalls nearby selling tourist items such as t-shirts and various souvenirs as well as the obligatory food/drink.

Fee

There is a small admission fee required for visitors - which is quite cheap (I can't remember exactly how much) - although the temple is currently undergoing some restoration work so it was impossible to visit the rear of the structure and see what that looked like (as this was obscured with scaffolding and construction sheets).

Getting there

Given that there is no public transport available for reaching this location your best bet will be to book a private driver.

You should expect to pay somewhere in the region of 500,000 Indonesian Rupiah (which, depending on the current exchange rate, is equivalent to £27.67 or $35.64 USD) for roughly 10 hours hire. There may also be additional fees such as lunch for the driver but, as always, discuss these before you buy.

From my own personal experiences I would recommend the services of a gentleman by the name of Subardi (reachable on +62 8564 3866 759) whose candour, professionalism and good nature made for a great day’s travel between various temple sites in the Yogyakarta region.

In fact without Subardi’s suggestions I would only have visited Borobudur and Prambanan and missed out on Pawon (as well as Candi Sambasari, Candi Mendut, Mendut Buddhist Monastery and another disused temple whose name I can’t recall now) so I can’t rate him highly enough.