Candi Muara Takus, Buddhist temple complex in Kampar, Indonesia
Candi Muara Takus is a temple compound in Kampar, Riau, with four main buildings: Candi Sulung, Candi Bungsu, Candi Mahligai, and Candi Palangka. A square wall measuring 74 meters (243 feet) on each side encloses the complex.
The temple compound arose between the 7th and 12th centuries during the Srivijaya Empire as a religious center and trading post. This role connected it with the wide maritime trade network in Southeast Asia.
The brick structures show influences from Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India, brought to Sumatra through maritime trade routes. This mix appears in the stupa shapes and ornamental details that visitors can still see on the walls today.
The site lies about 135 kilometers from Pekanbaru, near Muara Takus village in Kampar Regency, Riau. A white stone wall roughly 80 centimeters high encloses the 74 by 74 meter core, with a gateway on the northern side. An earth embankment measuring 1.5 by 1.5 kilometers runs from the complex to the Kampar Kanan River.
Candi Mahligai, the lotus-shaped stupa, is unlike any other in Indonesia, though similar structures exist in Thailand and Myanmar. Its octagonal base rises 14.30 metres, and lion figures on the uppermost level are barely discernible from below.
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