Temple Muara Takus is a Buddhist temple located in Riau

 Temple Muara Takus

Muara Takus is a Buddhist temple stand in Riau island, Indonesia. This temple complex is located precisely in the village of Muara Takus, sub-district XIII  the distance is approximately 135 kilometers from the city of Pekanbaru, Riau.

This temple complex is surrounded by a wall measuring 74 x 74 meters outside their area of land there are also wall measuring 1.5 x 1.5 kilometers surrounding this complex sampal to Kampar Kanan river. Within this complex there is also building an Old Temple, temple and palace Young Stupa and Palangka. Building materials consist of sandstone temple, river stones and bricks. According to the source host, bricks for this building was built in the village stock, a village located on the downstream side of the temple complex. Former mining land for the bricks until recently regarded as a highly respected resident. To carry bricks to the temple, done in relay from hand to hand. This story, although not definitely truth to the idea that the construction of the temple was a worked together and performed by people busy.

Apart from the Old Temple, Temple Young, Stupa and Palangka palace, in the temple complex was also found that estimated the mound as a place of burning human bones. Outside this complex there are also buildings (former) made of brick, which has not been established type buildings.

Muara Takus Complex, the only relic of history that shaped temple in Riau. The temple that is Buddhis this is proof ever Buddhism flourished in this region. Nevertheless, archaeological experts can not determine exactly when this temple was founded. Some say the eleventh century, some say the fourth century, seventh century, the ninth century, and so forth. Clearly this temple complex is a relic of the past history.

The temple is a shrine that developed in the Hindu-Buddhist period. This shrine was created as a means of worship for Hindu deities and Buddhist religions. Hinduism and Buddhism originated in India so that the concepts used in the establishment of a sacred building together with the concepts developed and used in India, namely the concept of holy water. Sacred building should be near the water is considered holy. The water was later used as a means of ritual. The role of water is not only used for ceremonial rituals, but also technically required in the development and maintenance and survival of the building itself. Establishment of sacred buildings in a place indeed where the potential to be considered sacred, and not a potential building held sacred. So in the sacred business of building buildings artists always consider the potential purity of a place where the building will be erected.

Temple Muara Takus

To stay awake and maintain the sanctity of a place, it must be maintained in the area around the center of the building or Brahmasthana and the four cardinal points where the god Lokapala (keeper of the wind) is to protect and secure the area as Wastupurusamandala that blend the supernatural and the real world. Then performed various ceremonies to purify the land. In this case, water is critical during the ceremony, because in addition to purify well water to nourish the area. So in an effort to the establishment of a sacred building, in addition to the potential sanctity of the land to be considered is the existence or availability of water in the area. This is similar to the concept of culture of India which stated that the existence of the Meru mountain as the abode of the gods surrounded by seven seas. So the reason and public to note that the establishment of most of the sacred building where he was always near water.

Sumatra geographical circumstances which have large rivers flow strongly supports the concept of the culture of India. With the big rivers flow with water easily available for the purposes of ritual. In addition to water factors, economic factors may also be behind the founding of a sacred building. The flow of the river in Sumatra in the past is a transportation route for trade. At first the number of traders who came a little. But over time due to waiting for the right time to sail so they live in the surrounding area. Then requires the place of worship for religious communities, and established the sacred building. Because it is impossible the establishment of a sacred building or temple without support from the community founders for survival these holy buildings. So in tune with the rapid growth and trade at a place in general would appear too sacred buildings or temples to be used as a place to perform rituals by the economic actors who have known the magic of building the temple, play a role in the functioning of the development of social / economic and trade .