Candi Bahal, Biaro Bahal, or Candi Portibi ,Bahal village, Padang Lawas
Bahal
temple (Indonesian: Candi Bahal), Biaro Bahal, or Candi Portibi is a
Vajrayana Buddhist temple (candi) complex located in Bahal village, Padang
Bolak, Portibi, Padang Lawas Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. About 3 hours
journey with car from Padangsidempuan or 400 km from Medan. The temple was
constructed in red brick materials and estimated built around 11th century
CE, linked with Pannai Kingdom, one of the trading ports on the coast of
Strait of Malacca under Srivijayan mandala.[1]
The
temple was named according to the village's name, yet another name Portibi
in Batak language means 'world' or 'earth' a Sanskrit loanword: Prithvi
(goddess of earth).
The
architecture of this temple is similar to Jabung temple located in
Probolinggo Regency, East Java.
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The
temples are stood within a complex (in local language called biaro)
which is the largest in North Sumatra. The temple compound consist of Bahal
I, Bahal II an Bahal III temples. All of the temples are constructed from red
brick materials, except for its statues that carved from sandstones. Each of
these complexes were surrounded by rectangular 1 meters thick an 1 meters
tall brick walls. The gate is located on eastern side, the gate is extended
outward with 60 cm tall walls in both sides. In the center of each complexes
stood the main temple with entrance facing the gate
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