Candi Sambisari is a semi-excavated 9th Century Hindu temple complex located at Sambisari hamlet, Purwomartani village, Kalasan in the Yogyakarta region, approximately 46.7km south-east from the more well known Borobudur temple.

The temple was first discovered in 1966 with the subsequent excavation and reconstruction work being finally completed in 1987. From what I have read online it’s theorised that the temple may have been buried from ash thrown out by a past eruption from Mount Merapi (roughly 25km away). If true this then begs the question of just how many more submerged temples might exist within the region that are yet to be discovered.

Candi Sambisari appears to be less well known than Borobudur and Prambanan which is somewhat surprising as this is one incredible location to visit. When I was informed of this temple by the private driver I had booked for the day, Subardi (whose driving services I highly recommend to anyone looking to visit the Yogyakarta region), and after arriving here, I was stunned by its scale and beauty (even in its decayed and dilapidated state).

The location

The temple complex consists of a main temple with 3 smaller pervara (guardian) temples situated in front, all of which are contained in a yard surrounded by a discoloured white stone wall (between roughly 5 to 6 feet high).

To gain entry visitors must descend a flight of stairs at the western end of the temple complex (although there are similar sets of stairs at the north, west and south borders of the site) which leads to the temple base situated 6.5 metres below ground level (albeit fully exposed to the open air).

The main temple consists of a single storey square structure at the centre of which are located a set of stairs adorned with sculptures of the mythical Hindu Makara sea creature, each being supported by a dwarf (gana).

Within the inner court of the main temple there is a rectangular building whose outer walls contain niches filled with representations of the Hindu Gods such as Durga and Ganesha.

Within this inner building is a Yoni, or Pindika, situated on a square base which is an abstract representation of the goddess Shakti (symbolising the divine feminine procreative energy). On top of the yoni is the lingga - an abstract representation of the Hindu deity Shiva (symbolising the masculine generative power).

The views from the main temple are fantastic to behold and it’s worth investing the time to climb each set of stairs on all 4 sides of the temple complex to gain a different perspective on how the location looks.

Fee

As expected with most of the temple sites in the Yogyakarta region there is a small fee to visit the site (but this is quite cheap - no more than 20,000 Indonesian rupiah if I remember correctly) and, in my humble opinion, well worth paying to spend time at this beautiful and interesting location.

Getting there

There is no public transport available for reaching this location so, unless you have Indonesian friends willing to drive there, you’ll need to book a private driver.

If you plan to visit other temples in the Yogyakarta region you should expect the private driver hire to cost somewhere in the region of 500,000 Indonesian Rupiah (likely equivalent to around £27.67 or $35.64 USD) for around 10 hours hire. As you are essentially booking the driver for the day there will likely be additional fees such as their lunch that you will need to pay for but be sure to discuss these up front before booking.

I would never have known about the existence of Candi Sambisari if it wasn’t for itinerary advice suggested by the excellent private driver that I had the good fortune to book - a gentleman by the name of Subardi.

I can’t rate Subardi’s services highly enough and for those looking for private driver hire during their intended visits to temples in the Yogyakarta region you could do far worse than employ this man’s services. He’s reachable on +62 8564 3866 759 and his candour, professionalism and good nature will make for a great day’s travel between various temple sites in the Yogyakarta region.