Explore the Enchanting Candi Bima & All Hindu Temples in Dieng Plateau

Candi Bima, Candi Gatotkaca, Candi Setyaki, and Candi Dwarawati are the other surviving temples in the Dieng Plateau besides the famous Candi Arjuna Complex.

Candi Setyaki (left), Candi Bima (center), and Candi Puntadewa (right), are three of the famous temples in the Dieng Plateau.

Candi Bima

The GPS coordinates of Bima Temple are 7°12'13.8"S 109°54'31.8"E. It is a lone temple on top of a hill, with a location that is separated from other clusters of temples in Dieng Plateau. Its look is significantly different too, since it was heavily influenced by temple architecture from India. Its roof is adorned with Northern Indian styles of Kudu (head of deities) nestled in the horseshoe-shaped alcoves of the Southern India style. 

With a base of six by six meters base and a height of eight meters, Candi Bima is the largest and most sacred temple in the Dieng Plateau. There was a myth that if a person circles counterclockwise around the temple seven times, he or she will get a soulmate.

Candi Setyaki

Setyaki Temple in Dieng Plateau.

According to the Javanese Wayang stories, Setyaki is Khrisna’s brother-in-law, a knight in the Dwarawati Kingdom. He helped the Pandawa in the Bharatayuda War.

In Dieng Plateau, Setyaki Temple is between the Arjuna Temple Complex and Gatotkaca Temple. Although Candi Setyaki is not feasible from the stone path, it is not far from the sign at the fork.

Candi Setyaki had been completely restored in 2022. It is a small square temple, a lone temple in the middle of a field. Its outer wall has the distinctive relief of Kartikeya, the War God, the son of Shiva, who rode a peacock. The temple is accompanied by a stone structure called Dharmasala, where people get ready before entering the temple. 

Candi Gatotkaca

The Gatotkaca Temple in the Dieng Plateau.

Candi Gatotkaca is a small temple right across from the Dieng Kailasa Museum. Its location on the side of the road (The GPS coordinates are 7°12'13.8"S 109°54'31.8"E) makes it very accessible, especially with a spacious parking lot beside it. On the other side of the parking lot is the entrance to a garden with a stone path leading you to Setyaki Temple and Arjuna Temple Compound.

Candi Gatotkaca was a temple complex, consisting of Gatotkaca, Petruk, Nala Gareng, Nakula, and Sadewa Temples, including several Perwara Temples. The names are all of the characters in the Mahabharata Epic. Unfortunately, only Gatotkaca Temple survived. Today, it has a flat roof, which is unlikely to be its original design, since most Hindu temples here have a roof representing Mount Meru. The remaining of other temples are only piles of andesite stones. Worse, potato farms and the development of new villas keep pressing on the temple's existence.

Candi Dwarawati

While other temples in Dieng were named after the characters in the Mahabharata Epic, Candi Dwarawati was named after the Dwarawati kingdom in India, which was believed to have been founded by Khrisna, a deity in Hinduism. In the past, it was a temple compound consisting of Dwarawati, Pandu, Parikesit, and Margasari temples. Unfortunately, only Dwarawati Temple is still standing today. It is a small temple that is dedicated to Shiva. Each side of its outer wall has alcoves that were used to be adorned with statues of Ganesha, Agastya, and Durga. Due to safety reasons, today they are kept inside the Dieng Kailasa Museum.

Dieng Kailasa Museum

Dieng Kailasa Museum contains a lot of artifacts from the temples in Dieng Plateau.

Opened on July 28, 2008, Dieng Kailasa Museum is located within the Balai Pelestarian Peninggalan Purbakala complex, across the street from Candi Gatotkaca. This museum is named after Kailasa, the mountain where Shiva resides, as most of the temples in Dieng are dedicated to Shiva.

Dieng Kailasa Museum contains valuable ancient stone statues from temples in Dieng that are risky to be stolen in their original places. The minute you enter the museum, you will see several statues that represent the many faces of Shiva. In addition to the statues found in Dieng, the museum also has a small theater and provides information on the arts, beliefs, and daily life in Dieng, including the geology, flora, and fauna in Dieng.

Besides the statues in the museum, you will see many more statues in the garden and terraces inside the museum complex, either because they are not yet put into their respective places or they are still unidentified.

You also can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding area from the garden at the back of the museum.

Directions to Dieng Kailasa Museum, Candi Bima, Gatotkaca, Setyaki, and Dwarawati.

Tap/click the Google Map above to get directions to Candi Bima and other temples in Dieng.

To the right is a map of the Dieng Plateau, which provides directions to Candi Bima, Candi Gatotkaca, Candi Setyaki, Candi Dwarawati, and the Dieng Kailasa Museum. Since the attractions in Dieng are spread across the area, the most efficient way to explore Dieng is by driving a car or renting an open-top jeep.