Mendut temple is located at Mendut village, mungkid district, Magelang regency, about 38 km northwest of Yogyakarta and 3 km eastern of Borobudur temple. It faces west contrary to Borobudur temple which has it’s front to the east. Mendut temple faces toward Benares, India who Buddha Gautama taught for the first time.
Mendut temple was built at about the same times as Borobudur temple, in the second half of the eight century, and most probably by Sri Maharaja Panangkaran, the first king of Syailendra dynasty. The height of mendut temple is 26,40 m, which contains of the foot basement, the body and the peak. Above the basement there is a square stage surrounding the body of the temple, which has the relief/ornaments style the figure of animals e.g. monkey, deer, tiger, bird, crocodile and turtle. In the adjoining cell we observe the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, sitting on a throne and respectirely on the left and the right hand are the statue of Lokesvara (a small image of Amitaba in his crown) and Vajraponi (a Vajra weapon of Indra in his crown). Below the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, we distinguish a cakra wheel between two deer. The handpose of the Buddha image is turning the wheel of the law of cause and effect.
