Penataran orPanataran (Indonesian:Candi Penataran) is one of the largestHindu temple ruins complexes inEast Java,Indonesia.[1] It is located in Penataran,Blitar Regency, roughly 12 km northeast ofBlitar, with the closest airport being further away atMalang. Believed to have been constructed between the 12th century to the 15th century, the temple played a significant role in theMajapahit Kingdom, especially under KingHayam Wuruk.[1][2] He considered it his favorite sanctuary.[3]: 241 Penataran dates from theKediri era.
Candi Panataran is aShiva (Siwa) temple. It is notable for including one of the largest Indonesian collections ofreliefs showing the life stories of the Hindu godVishnu in differentavatar. In particular, the temple site includes theRama story in the Javanese version of the epicRamayana, as well asKrishna story as depicted Triguna'sKrishnayana epic poem.[4][5][3]: 158 Comparative studies of reliefs related to Hindu epics at Penataran andPrambanan temple (Yogyakarta) complexes have attracted the attention of archaeologists.[6]
This site was added to theUNESCOWorld Heritage Tentative List on October 19, 1995, in the Cultural category. This temple was identified inNagarakretagama asPalah temple and reported being visited by KingHayam Wuruk during his royal tour across East Java. The site is being considered to be put on theWorld Heritage list of sites that have "outstanding universal value" to the world.[7] However, in 2015, the site was pulled out from the tentative list along with 11 other sites.
