Pawon Temple (Candi Pawon)

Pawon Temple (Candi Pawon) tickets and tours: which one to book

Candi Pawon is a small Buddhist shrine standing in a village garden between Mendut and Borobudur, about 40 km north-west of Yogyakarta, and it is visited almost always as part of a wider Borobudur day rather than on its own. Admission is paid at a small ticket booth at the site, separately from the Borobudur ticket, and no reservation is needed. The most popular product that includes it is a pre-dawn excursion from Yogyakarta. A driver collects you in the small hours, takes you to a hill west of Borobudur to watch the sun rise over the mist and the volcanoes, and then continues to Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut.

Transport, a driver and sometimes breakfast are included; the temple tickets and an official Borobudur guide are usually extra, so check the inclusions carefully. Other day tours pair Borobudur with Prambanan, and those may or may not stop at Pawon, so ask in advance if you want to see it. Independent travellers staying near Borobudur can walk or cycle the short distance from the main temple to Pawon in about twenty minutes, and on to Mendut. From Yogyakarta, buses run to Borobudur from the Jombor terminal, and a car with driver for the day is inexpensive and the easiest way to see all three temples.

Visiting Pawon Temple (Candi Pawon): what to see and how to behave

Pawon was built under the Sailendra dynasty in the 8th or 9th century, and the style of its carving suggests that it is slightly older than Borobudur. It stands on a straight line between Borobudur, about 1.75 km to the north-east, and Mendut, about 1.15 km to the south-west, and the three are thought to have formed one sacred route. Many scholars suggest pilgrims stopped here to purify themselves before climbing Borobudur. Its name means kitchen in Javanese, possibly from a word for ash, which has led some to believe it once held the ashes of a king, though no one knows whose. The temple is small and quick to see, but it rewards a slow look. It rises on a square base, faces roughly north-west, and is reached by a single stairway framed by carved kala heads and makara sea monsters.

Walk round the outer walls to find reliefs of bodhisattvas and female deities, and the panels showing a wish-granting tree hung with jewels, flanked by kinnara, half-bird celestial musicians, and overflowing pots of treasure. The roof is crowned by small stupas and jewel-shaped finials. Inside, the single square chamber is empty, with small slit windows letting in thin beams of light. Its harmony and modest scale have earned it the description of a jewel of Javanese temple architecture, in contrast to the tall, slender temples built later in East Java. Pawon is still a sacred place for Indonesian Buddhists. Dress modestly, do not climb on the walls or the stupas, and keep voices down if anyone is praying in the chamber.

Pawon Temple (Candi Pawon): opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The site is open during daylight hours, from roughly early morning to late afternoon; check locally for current hours, especially on holidays. The best time is mid-morning, after a sunrise visit to the hills, or late afternoon, when the stone glows in the low sun and the crowds have returned to Yogyakarta. The dry season from May to September has the clearest skies;

from November to March heavy rain is common in the afternoons, so plan outdoor visits for the morning. The most important event is Waisak, the Buddhist festival of the full moon in May or June, when monks and pilgrims walk in procession from Mendut past Pawon to Borobudur, carrying offerings, holy water and flames. The route is crowded and some areas are closed to tourists during the ceremonies, so plan ahead if you want to watch. Twenty to thirty minutes is enough for Pawon itself. Combine it with Mendut and its great seated Buddha, Borobudur, and the hill viewpoints and villages of the Menoreh range.