8 Buddhist Temples to Explore in Indonesia

Candi Bahal, also known as Biaro Bahal or Candi Portibi is Vajrayana Buddhist candi complex in Bahal village, Padang Bolak, Portibi, Padang Lawas Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is located about three hours journey with car from Padangsidempuan or 400 km from Medan. The complex includes three candis: Candi Bahal I, Candi Bahal II, and Candi Bahal III. The temple site is linked to Pannai Kingdom circa 11th to 13th century CE.

Borobudur Temple is the world's largest Buddhist temple located in central Java, Indonesia. The monument is a marvel of design, decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. This temple Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty. The monument was restored with UNESCO's help in the 1970s.

Ceto is a fifteenth-century Javanese-Hindu temple that is located on the western slope of Mount Lawu on the border between Central and East Java provinces.

Maha Vihara Maitreya, is a Buddhist temple located on Medan, which is claimed to be the largest non-historical buddhist temple in Indonesia. This temple is often called Vihara Cemara Asri because it is located in housing complex of Cemara Asri. Maha Vihara Maitreya was built in 1991 on an area of 4.5 hectares and was inaugurated on August 21, 2008.

Located a little over 3 km from Borobudur, it is home to an exquisitely carved 3-meter high statue of Buddha. Mendut Buddhist temple Built around early ninth century AD, Mendut is the oldest of the three temples including Pawon and Borobudur. The Karangtengah inscription, the temple was built and finished during the reign of King Indra of the Sailendra dynasty.

Pawon is a Buddhist temple in Central Java, Indonesia. The temple was built during the Sailendra dynasty. Pawon literally means "kitchen" in the Javanese language, which is derived from the root word awu or dust.

Plaosan temple was built in the mid 9th century by Sri Kahulunnan or Pramodhawardhani, the daughter of Samaratungga, descendant of Sailendra Dynasty. The temple is an ancient building compound comprising of two building complexes, Plaosan Lor Temple complex and Plaosan Kidul Temple complex.

Sewu temple is the second largest Buddhist temple complex in Indonesia located 800 metres north of Prambanan in Central Java, Indonesia. There are 249 buildings in the complex are arranged in a Mandala pattern around the main central hall. This configuration expresses the Mahayana Buddhist view of the universe.