History of Muara Takus Temple
Muara Takus Temple is a Buddhist temple site located in Muara Takus village, XIII Koto District, Kampar Regency, Riau. Inside this temple complex there are several buildings called Candi Sulung, Candi Bungsu, Mahligai Stupa, and Palangka.
Experts differ regarding when this temple was founded. Some say in the 7th century, 9th century, and some even say the 11th century. However, it is believed that Muara Takus Temple is a relic of Buddhist civilization from the Srivijaya Kingdom era.
Experts also consider that the area where the temple is located was one of the centers of government of the Srivijaya Kingdom. Muara Takus Temple is thought to have been built during the development of Hinduism and Buddhism in Indonesia.
However, the origins of the founding of this temple are still not widely discovered due to the lack of strong evidence. Muara Takus Temple is thought to have been built during the Srivijaya Kingdom, namely between the 4th and 11th centuries AD.
This temple is the oldest Buddhist temple in Indonesia found in Sumatra. This is proven by the shape of the stupa which is the symbol of Gautama Buddha.
In this temple building there are also Yoni and Lingga as symbols of gender and there are also architectural similarities with temples in Myanmar. This is because Muara Takus Temple is a combination of Buddhism and Shiva.
Regarding the naming of Muara Takus Temple, there are two opinions. First, the name of this temple is taken from the name of a small river which flows into the Kampar River. The name of this small river is the Takus River.
Meanwhile, the second opinion says that the name Muara Takus is taken from two words, namely Muara which means the final place of the river flow, and Takus is taken from the Chinese word Takuse .
Ta in Chinese means big while ku means old or temple. So overall, Muara Takus has the meaning of a large, old shrine or temple located at the mouth of a river.
If you look at the shape and structure of Muara Takus Temple, which is in the form of a stupa, this temple is thought to have been used as a place of worship and ritual for Buddhists at that time, especially Mahayana Buddhism.
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