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Candi bentar, or split gateway, is a classical Javanese andBalinese gateway entrance commonly found at the entrance of religious compounds,palaces, or cemeteries inIndonesia.[1] It is acandi-like structure split perfectly in two to create a passage in the center for people to walk through. In contrast to the very ornate shape and decoration of the main faces, the sides of the passage are left completely plain. The passage is usually elevated with a flight of stairs to reach it. A candi bentar is commonly found inJava,Bali, andLombok.
Candi bentar has acandi-like form but is split perfectly in two to create a symmetrical image. Candi bentar characteristically has a stepped profile, which can be heavily decorated in the case of Balinese candi bentar. The two inner surfaces are always left sheer and unadorned as if the structure has been split in two.[2]
There are several different styles of candi bentar, from the plain red brick structure ofMajapahit-style with its derivations ofCirebon, Demak,Kudus, and early Mataram Sultanate style, to the stucco-coated split gates of Kaibon Palace in Banten, also in the cities of Surakarta and Yogyakarta, to the richly adorned split gates of Balinese temples and palaces compound.
Other than narrowing the passage, candi bentar do not serve a real defensive purpose, since this type of split gate is originally designed not to have doors. Additional iron fences are seldom to never installed in the passage, if so they are usually added later and not part of the original design. The symbolism of a candi bentar is unclear. Candi bentar probably only serve for aesthetic purpose, to create a sense of grandeur before entering a compound.
Candi bentar andpaduraksa (another gateway structure) are integral features ofBalinese temple architecture, and possibly the classical Javanese Hindu temple. Both gateways mark the threshold between different levels of sanctity within a temple compound. Candi bentar marks the boundary between the outer world with the outer realm of theHindu temple, thenistamandala ("outer sanctum"). Thepaduraksa marks the boundary between themadyamandala ("middle sanctum") with the innermost and the most sacredutamamandala ("main sanctum").[3]
The compound withinBalinese temples and palaces is usually used for rituals. The candi bentar is usually used as a background of dance performances, as the performers appear from behind the split gates. Sometimes the dance performance took place in the inner compound with a roofedpaduraksa gate as a background.
Candi bentar is thought to date back to the Hindu period ofSinghasari andMajapahit in 13th to 14th-centuryJava.[2] Reliefs showing a candi bentar andpaduraksa have been discovered in 13th-centuryPanataran temple andCandi Jago inEast Java.
In the archaeological site ofTrowulan – the 14th-century capital of the Majapahit empire – a candi bentar namedWringin Lawang (Javanese "the Banyan Tree Gate"), is among the oldest candi bentar that still stands. The Wringin Lawang took the shape of a typical Majapahit temple structure evenly split into two mirroring structures, creating a passage in the center. The grand gate portals are made from red brick, with a base of 13 x 11 metres and a height of 15.5 metres.
The current prevalence of candi bentar is probably owed to the influence ofMajapahit aesthetics on Javanese and Balinese architecture.[4] The candi bentar was still widely used upon the arrival ofthe Islam period in the 15th century. The Sultanate palace of TheKeraton Kasepuhan used candi bentar to mark access into the public audience pavilion.
The 16th-centuryMenara Kudus Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Java, still has a candi bentar in its compound, marking the gateway into the mosque compound. A Muslim cemetery complex of Sendang Duwur in the village of Sendang Duwur,Lamongan Regency, East Java, contains both candi bentar and paduraksa to mark the level of sanctity within the cemetery complex, with the tomb of Sunan Sendang Duwur being the most sacred part of the cemetery complex.[5] Other Javanese tombs employing the candi bentar is theSunan Giri cemetery complex.
In the modern period, the construction of candi bentar is encouraged by the Indonesian government. This policy is especially encouraged by municipal and regional kabupaten governments as a form of regional identity. The government of Banten province, for example, encouraged the construction of candi bentar — modelled after Kaibon Palace ofOld Banten, in the entrance gate of houses, especially those located along the main road.[6] In the city ofCirebon,West Java, the red brick candi bentar has become the identity of the city.
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