Barong Temple, Hindu temple near Prambanan, Indonesia

Barong Temple is a Hindu shrine in Sleman featuring three ascending terraces connected by staircases and built with detailed stone masonry work. The structure displays architectural elements across multiple levels, creating a stepped design that rises progressively upward.

Built in the 9th to 10th centuries as a Hindu temple of the Medang Kingdom during the Mataram period, Barong Temple was rediscovered in the early 20th century in a collapsed state during the expansion of a sugarcane plantation for a Dutch sugar factory. The Pereng inscription of 863 CE records that Rakai Walaing Mpu Kumbhayoni granted rice fields and two hills at Tamwahurang in 860 CE for the upkeep of a Shiva sanctuary called Bhadraloka, which scholars link to this temple. Restoration began in 1987, reassembling the two main shrines, and was completed in 1992.

The temple takes its name from the carved kala head decorations set into its niches, which echo the mythological Barong figure from local beliefs. These ornaments shape how visitors experience the shrine and reveal how religious ideas were expressed through craftsmanship.

The shrine sits about 800 meters from the Ratu Boko compound and is accessible daily. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for uneven ground, as the staircases between terraces can be steep.

The temple's worship of Vishnu is unusual: Central Javanese temples are generally Shaivite. Its terraced layout, with the main shrines at the highest and easternmost point, also departs from Medang-period practice, where the main building stood at the centre. Only Candi Ijo shares this arrangement.