Kimpulan Temple, Found in 2009

Kimpulan temple is a 9th century located in the area of Indonesia Islamic University, Jogjakarta, Indonesia. The temple was buried about five metres underground. Parts of the temple have been excavated to reveal square andesite stone walls and statues of Ganesha, Lingam Yoni, and Nandi. The temple was accidentally discovered on 11 December 2009 during land excavations to lay foundations for the construction of a new university library. The discovery drew public attention and sparked excitement and curiosity. The news instantly drew many visitors to the site. Archaeology office feared that large numbers of curious visitors would harm the excavation site, and feared the looting might take place. As the result, the area was surrounded with tin fences and closed; it is presently off-limits for visitors.

Kimpulan temple is thought to have been buried by an ancient volcanic eruption from nearby Mount of Merapi about a millennia ago. The discovery of this temple was the most exciting archaeological findings in Yogyakarta recently, leading to speculation about whether other ancient temples still lie underground in the vicinity, buried under Mount Merapi volcanic ash. The temple is clearly a Hindu Shivaistic temple. However the temple architecture is quite unusual for a temple dated from this period. Unlike common Central Java Hindu temples, the stone main structure and towering roof are absent. The temple is modestly small in size and has simple decorations. It only consists of several squares of walled stone base and staircases with the carving of Kala. The inner chambers contain statues of Ganesha, Nandi, and Lingam-Yoni.

So far, experts suggest that the history and architecture of this temple is a modest one. The body, column, and roof of the temple probably were made from wooden or any organic materials that have decayed over time and left no traces. The temple was probably similar to present day Balinesse temple with tall Meru-style roof. Unlike the magnificent and richly decorated Prambanan that served as the royal national temple of the Mataram Kingdom, Kimpul was a modest village shrine built by common people of a village on the outskirt of the capital.