[navigasi.net] Budaya - Candi Gununggangsir

Gunung Gangsir Temple is a red-bricked temple that has the most relief (sculptured artwork) decoration all over it. Unfortunately not all relieves are still in a good condition since part of it damaged already. According to the local people there, most of the relief has been missing because it was taken away by the Japanese during their occupation in Indonesia. The remaining ones still can be seen in this temple. Visitor will be amazed by the relief of vessels and tendrils although it’s no longer in a perfect condition. An image of a woman with no head also can be seen decorating north wall temple. Other ornament and relief also can be seen in many part of this temple, it shows us that this used to be a beautiful temple indeed.

This is a rectangular-shaped temple completed with many roof levels that looks like the shape of pagoda.

	[navigasi.net] Budaya - Candi Gununggangsir

Founded on the 62x42 m, this temple has full length of 20m and 17m wide. There’s a small door which is too difficult to get into since it’s too small for average people, not to mention you have to climb the stairs which is not in a good condition and no longer safe as erosion has happened many times.

From the literature provided in the location, this temple was built as the commemoration monument to express the gratitude of the people as they finally succeed in growing rice and farming. This temple is predicted built at the early of 10th century when most people at that time hasn’t had the knowledge of farming. Before doing farming, people at that time was a nomad, always moving from one place into another for finding something to eat, mostly grass.

There’s a legend widely known by the local people here that once upon a time, there’s a lady named Nyi Sri Gati came into this village. She tried to persuade the people here to seek the solution of their constant short of food to the Sang Hyang Widi god. One day, there was paddy birds flew on that village and brought rice grains along with them. They dropped the grains and also the grain skin which later planted by the local people at the north side of this temple.

The grains grew and turned the area into a paddy field while the skin turned into precious stones. This made Nyi Sri Gati became very rich but yet generous. People called her Mbok Rondo Dermo (Javanese, Rondo=widow, Dermo=generous) for her generosity.

	[navigasi.net] Budaya - Candi Gununggangsir

Soon the story of this wealthy lady had spread around the merchants and nomads who wanted to sell her precious stone to many places. They changed their mind and decided to keep the stone for themselves by smuggled it in the boat. But suddenly the boat sank and somehow threw into the land and became a mountain called Prau Mountain located along the Penanggungan Mountain hillside. People believes it because Nyi Sri Gati somehow had a mystical power to cause those things.

This wealthy lady not only attracted merchants but also criminals. They tried in many ways to robbed her but none of them had succeeded since she could defeat them all. The criminals names were used as the name of villages around this temple such as Keboireng, Wonokoyo, Pucang, Sobo, Kesemi, Kedatan and many more.

Nobody knows for sure whether the above legend is true or just some story, but the local people still consider this temple is sacred.