CANDI BAHAL

Candi Bahal, Biaro Bahal, or Portibi Temple is a Buddhist temple complex of Vajrayana flow located in Bahal Village, Padang Bolak District, Portibi, Padang Lawas District, North Sumatra, which is about 3 hours drive from Padangsidempuan or about 400 km from Medan City. This temple is made of red brick and is thought to have originated from around the 11th century and is associated with the Pannai Kingdom, one of the ports on the coast of the Malacca Strait that was conquered and became part of the mandala of Srivijaya. [1] Has three ancient buildings that are Biaro Bahal I, II and III. [2] Interconnected and consisting in a straight line. [2] Biaro Bahal I is the largest. Her legs were jeweled with round boards that carved an animal-headed yaksa, who was dancing. [2] Apparently the dancers were wearing animal masks like at a ceremony in Tibet. Among all the jewelry boards were carved lions sitting. [2] In Bahal II ever found a statue of Heruka the Demonis statue that embodies the pantheon figure of Buddhist Religion of Mahayanan, sect of bajrayana or tantrayana. [2] Heruka stood on the corpse in a dance manner; on his right hand there is a stick. Bahal III carved leaf ornaments. This temple is named after the name of the village where this building stands. In addition, the name Portibi in Batak means 'the world' or 'earth' the term of absorption derived from Sanskrit: Pertiwi (goddess of the Earth). The architecture of this temple building is similar to that of Jabung Temple in Probolinggo regency, East Java. This temple is the largest (in the local term called biaro) temple complex in North Sumatra province, because its area encompasses Bahal I, Bahal II and Bahal III temple complexes. All buildings in the three temple complexes are made of red brick, except the statues made of hard rock. Each of the temple complex is surrounded by a fence as tall and as thick as about 1 m which is also made of red brick arrangement. On the east side there is a gate that jutted out and on the right-left flanked by a wall as high as about 60 cm. In each temple complex there is a main building located in the middle of the courtyard with the entrance right facing the gate. Here is a description of this temple complex. Bahal 1 Temple was built in an area of ​​about 3000 m² surrounded by a railing of 60 cm high red stone. The wall of the fence is quite thick, which is about 1 m. The main building of Bahal I Temple is located in the middle of the courtyard, facing the gate. Between the main building and the gate there is a basic batur or stage-shaped platform square about 7 x 7 m. The main building of Candi Bahal I is the largest compared to the main building of Temple Bahal II and II. The main building consists of the composition of the base or mat, foot, body and roof of the temple. Placemats berdenah base square of about 7 square meters with a height of about 180 cm. On the stand stands the foot of the temple as high as 75 cm, with a square floor plan of 6 square meters. The difference between the placemark and the foot of the temple forms a hallway around the foot of the temple. Bahal I Temple facing east, in the middle of the east side, right in front of the steps up to the foot of the temple surface, the temple plates jutted out about 4 meters long with a width of about 2 m. At the end of the long courtyard there is a ladder flanked by a pair of makara heads at the base. Along the northern and southern sides of the street wall of the courtyard leading to the mat is a sculpture of people in various positions. Although many parts of the carving are already damaged, still looks the form of people who look like they are dancing. Along the east side or the front of the mat is a giant-shaped sculpture sitting. The body of the temple is a rectangular building with a square footbase of 5 square meters. The difference in the temple's body area with the surface of the temple's feet forms a hallway about 1 m wide. To reach the entrance to the space inside the body of the temple there is a ladder as high as about 60 cm from the surface of the foot of the temple. In the body of the temple there is an empty room measuring about 3 meters square surrounded by walls about 1 meter thick. The width of the entrance door is about 120 x 250 cm. There is no sculpture that adorns the door frame. The roof of Bahal I Temple is a dagoba shape, which is a cylindrical stupa, about 2.5 meters tall. Sculptures of flowers circle the edge of the roof.