Culture & History4 min read·
Candi Sari: The Two-Storey Monastery of Buddhist Monks
Candi Sari in Kalasan, Sleman is a two-storey Buddhist temple once used as monks' quarters. Here is its history, 36 Bodhisattva statues, and tickets.
Candi Sari sits in Dusun Bendan, Tirtomartani Village, Kalasan District, Sleman Regency, about 13 kilometers northeast of central Yogyakarta. It’s just a few hundred meters from Candi Kalasan, close enough to walk between the two.
Set back slightly from the main Solo road and surrounded by housing, this temple gets skipped often by visitors rushing straight to Prambanan. The signage is easy to miss, so it’s worth relying on a map app to find it.
An Elongated Building That Wasn’t Just for Worship
The first thing that sets Candi Sari apart is its shape. Rather than rising vertically like most temples, this one stretches out horizontally — about 17.3 meters long, 10 meters wide, and roughly 17 to 18 meters tall including its stupas.
Nine stupas line the roof in three parallel rows, a design echoing the stupas at Borobudur. Beneath each stupa cluster sit rooms that once had a second floor, and the inner walls still show holes where wooden support beams for that upper level used to be anchored.
The outer walls carry a coat of vajralepa, the same bright plaster found at nearby Candi Kalasan, marking both temples as products of the same era and cultural sphere. Above that layer stand 36 Bodhisattva statues spread across all four sides, each depicted in a tribhanga pose holding a lotus flower.
An 8th-Century Monks’ Quarters and Visiting Info
Historians place Candi Sari’s construction somewhere in the 8th to 9th century AD, during the Ancient Mataram period, alongside Candi Kalasan and under the cultural influence of the Sailendra dynasty that shaped Buddhism’s growth in Java.
Rather than functioning as a main place of worship, the building is believed to have served as a vihara, or monastery, housing the monks who managed religious activity at Candi Kalasan nearby. That theory is backed by the temple’s layout — three rooms in a row, each roughly 3.48 by 5.80 meters, a floor plan that reads more like living quarters than a prayer chamber.
Entry runs around IDR 5,000 per person, with parking at roughly IDR 3,000 for motorbikes and IDR 5,000 for cars. The wooden floor and second-storey structure are long gone, so visitors can only access the ground level. Arriving in the morning gives the best side lighting for picking out the detail in the Bodhisattva carvings on the outer walls.
Exploring Nearby Sites in Kalasan
- Candi Kalasan - about 300 meters - Yogyakarta’s oldest Buddhist temple, standing since 778 AD. Candi Sari’s historical companion piece and well worth visiting together.
- Candi Kedulan - about 2 km - A Hindu temple once buried under 8 meters of Merapi’s volcanic material.
- Candi Sambisari - about 4 km - A Hindu temple sitting 6.5 meters below ground level inside a grassy hollow.
Final Thoughts
Candi Sari’s appeal comes precisely from not being a primary worship site — it offers a rare window into where 8th-century monks actually lived and studied. Pair it with Candi Kalasan just a few hundred meters away to get the fuller picture of both.
FAQ: About Candi Sari
How much does it cost to enter Candi Sari?
Around IDR 5,000 per person, not including parking, which runs roughly IDR 3,000 for motorbikes and IDR 5,000 for cars. Rates can change, so it’s worth confirming at the ticket booth.
What was Candi Sari originally used for?
It’s believed to have served as a vihara, or monastery, housing the monks who managed religious activity at nearby Candi Kalasan, rather than as a main place of worship. That theory is supported by its three-room layout and two-storey structure.
Can you still go up to the second floor of Candi Sari?
No. The wooden floor and staircase are long gone, leaving only the beam holes in the inner walls as evidence they once existed.