Sukuh Temple Cultural Tourism, Karanganyar’s The Last Temple

Sukuh Temple – For those of you who visit the Karanganyar area, Central Java, it would be incomplete if you didn’t visit Sukuh Temple. Not much different from Prambanan or Borobudur Temple, this temple also holds the historical remains of ancient kings.

The history of Sukuh Temple

Sukuh Temple itself is a historic relic of Hindu civilization from the Majapahit era. The location of this temple is under the foot of Mount Lawu, Karanganyar District, Central Java.

According to history, this temple was founded in the 15th century AD and was discovered by archaeologists in the colonial era in 1817. This temple in Central Java was also crowned as the oldest temple in the Majapahit era, so it was nicknamed the last temple.

At first, this temple received quite a lot of controversy because the statues were not suitable for display. This can be seen from several temple statues showing reproductive organs. But gradually, people began to accept and make the temple a hit tourist attraction in Karang Anyar.

The attraction of Sukuh Temple

Apart from the controversy over the building, there is an attraction of Sukuh Temple that makes tourists always interested in coming there. The following are the attractions of the temple:

The Uniqueness of the Sukuh Temple Architecture

This unique form can be seen in statues, inscriptions, figurines and reliefs around the temple. Apart from that, there is also a culture of offerings which can often be found in temple corners.

Apart from that, most of the buildings in this temple have several parts of the top cut off. Then on the terrace, it is made more terraced with steps in the middle and there is also a large statue with a number of monolids.

Composed of 3 Terrace

In general, there are 3 terraces at Sukuh Temple, the first part of which is the main gate. Then on the second terrace there is an incomplete gate and on the right and justify side there are statues of dwarapala (gate guards). Then in the last part there is a quite large courtyard.

On the stairs, tourists will find a relief depicting the story of the phallus facing the vagina. The relief is displayed in the main part with the intention that any impurities in the body will disappear.

Interestingly, this relief was used to test whether the bride was a virgin or not. If when you pass through the relief the kebaya you are wearing doesn’t fall off, you are still a virgin and vice versa.

Activities to do at Sukuh Temple

With uniqueness like that, you can do various activities such as:

Exploring Sukuh Temple and Learning History

You can look into various corners of the temple to see the splendor of the building in past centuries. For example, you can see stupas, reliefs whose shape will not be found in other locations.

With a form like that, you will indirectly learn the history of ancient times. Every carving or image on the reliefs and statues has a unique meaning and story to learn.

Taking Instagenic photos at Sukuh Temple

With its unique and interesting shape, you can use it as a photo background. You can take photos around the stupa, a statue whose image is unique and cannot be found elsewhere.

Route to get to Sukuh Temple

For those of you departing from Solo, you can take the bus heading to Karangpandan Terminal. Then move by minibus to Sukuh at the Nglorong three intersection. From there, you can walk or take a motorbike taxi and the distance is only about 1 km.

Opening Times and Ticket Prices for Sukuh Temple

Sukuh Temple’s opening hours start from 07.00 to 15.00 WIB every day. Then, entrance tickets are differentiated between local and foreign tourists with prices as follows

So Sukuh Temple is a place created in the Majapahit era and discovered in the colonial era. There are lots of reliefs, statues or other things with unique images. There are even those who show their reproductive organs which local residents use as a virginity test.

With this temple, you can learn a lot about history from ancient times. Moreover, to learn it is enough to get a cheap ticket and only pay for parking your motorbike or car.