Asia Education Foundation

Values and Beliefs: Religious Architecture of Indonesia

Lower Secondary Arts Unit

Studies of Asia Learning Emphases

Developing concepts of Asia

World contributions by the people of Asia

Specific Indonesia focus:

Define terms that relate to Islamic, Buddhist, early Indonesian Hindu and Balinese Hindu religious architecture.

Make representations of religious sculptures, carvings and temples.

Students explore the main architectural features of some of the religious buildings of Indonesia.

Background
An Architectural Wordbank
Indonesian Religious Sites
A Souvenir from an Indonesian Religious Site
Further Research
Activity Sheet

Teaching and Learning Activities

Background

Explain to students that the main religions in Indonesia are: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. This unit will focus on the religious architecture of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.

For a thorough introduction to the history of religion in the Indonesian archipelago, see the Lower Secondary SOSE Unit Early Civilisations on this website. It is important to realise that the Indonesian forms of the above religions have been adapted to accommodate pre-existing Indonesian beliefs and customs and that this is evident in the religious architecture found in Indonesia today.

An Architectural Wordbank

Religious architecture has its own language. Students search for the definitions and associated religion for the following terms and record their findings on a class wall chart. Typical answers are provided below.

TermsDefinitionReligion
Buddha'The Enlightened One'Buddhism
domea large round roofIslam
stupaa bell-shaped structure which marks a sacred spotBuddhism
merua multi-tiered roofBalinese Hinduism
Shiva/Siva'The Destroyer', one of the three divinitiesHinduism
minareta high tower from which the muezzin calls people to prayerIslam
temple gatesthe entrance to a temple complexBalinese Hinduism
bas-reliefscarvings in which the figures protrude only slightly from the stoneBuddhism and Hinduism

Indonesian Religious Sites

Students visit the following sites in order to complete the activities that follow:

Students identify, sketch and describe each of the following:

  • Prambanan (also known as Loro Jonggrang complex) - an example of early Indonesian Hindu architecture
    Borobudur - an example of early Indonesian Buddhist architecture
    Pura Besakih - an example of Balinese Hindu architecture
    Baiturrahman Mosque - an example of Indonesian Islamic architecture.

They should pay particular attention to:

  • roofing materials
  • wall construction materials
  • overall shape
  • decorative features.

They then present an oral report with illustrations of architectural details.

A Souvenir from an Indonesian Religious Site

Students visit the following addresses to examine closely the sculptures and carvings of Borobudur and Prambanan temples:

As a guided creative response, students draw, paint or model in clay one sculpture and one bas-relief which they particularly like from either Borobudur or Prambanan temples, ensuring they remain faithful to the original.

Further Research

Students use the Internet to search for information about the restoration projects at Borobudur and Prambanan temples and Borobudur's listing as a World Heritage Site. They record details of each restoration project, such as the funding agencies; length of restoration period; the restoration process; the function of these sites as modern tourist attractions and their continued use as religious sites. Students might like to compare these with religious sites in other parts of the world.

Activity Sheet

Students complete the Indonesian Religious Architecture Activity Sheet.