Candi Banyunibo, The Mith of Gold in the “Valley of Dripping Water”

From Jogjakarta, take the highway that goes to Solo, then turn rigt (to the south) at the Prambanan intersction to the direction of Piyungan. After three kilometers you will find a signpost indicating the temples of Banyunibo, Barong, and Ratu Boko. Take the left (east) turn anf follow the directions to the Cepit hamlet, Bokoharjo village. The temple stands in the middle of rice fields, 150m to the hills. It is accessible by most kinds of public transport, especially the bus, from Jogjakarta: get off at the Prambanan intersection and take a minibus to the direction of Piyungan until the Barong intersection; you can walk remaining 1.5km or take a motorbike-taxi (ojek). A fee is collected upon entrance.

From after the Banyunibo temple resembles a small dark building among puzzle pieces of rice fields. Light in dimensions (15.3x14.25m at the base, 15.3m in height), the temple is harmonious in form. There is a watersout (jaladwra) on each corner of the temple. The north, east, and south sides of the temple’s main sanctuary have niches that must have housed statues, which have never been found. The outside walls are decorated with Buddhist notifs representing the Dhyanis Budha (Ratnasambhava, Amoghasiddhi, and Vairochana). Six secondary temples in the form of stupas, not yet reconstructed, stand to the east and the south of the main temple.

From the style of its statues and its architecture, this temple is believed to date from the IXth century and is of the Buddhist origin although found near Hindu fragments. 100m from the temple, on the plateau, villagers find walls of white stone across which they make openings. Half of the houses in the village seenm to be built on archeological remains.

Like all others sacred places, Banyunibo is often used as a place of meditation and contemplation. The name of Banyunibo means ‘dripping water’. It is said that once there was a river carrying gold that ran from the top of the hill. The keeper of the temple, Bapak Kardi, told that many of the village’s elder had heard that the river running from the Boko hill and crosses the Banyunibo hill carried gold. Mediums have often ‘seen’ an immense mass of gold under the temple.

Source: Situs-Situs Marjinal Jogja (Sanctuaires Retrouvés/ Sites Out of Sight) - M. Rizky Sasono, Jean-Pascal Elbaz, Agung 'Leak' Kurniawan (Enrique indonesia, Yogyakarta: 1997).