Gedong Songo Temple, The Heritage Temple with Beautiful Scenery

Let’s discovery Semarang city! Right in the slope of Mount Ungaran, Semarang city will take you a ride for Gedong Songo Temple. Administratively, Gedong Songo is located on Candi village, Bandungan district, Semarang. It is the name of the complex of building of cultural heritage Hindu temple. Gedong Songo is made from Javanese language and translated as Candi Gedung Sembilan in Indonesian or Nine building temple in English. Sembilan means nine, it’s shows that in this tourist object there are nine temple building which you can visit one by one, right from the foot of slop until the peak. Whereas, in fact, based on the research by Raffless on 1807, he record that the number of the temples is only seven, so that he called this group of temple as Gedong Pitoe or Seven Building.

How to reach?

Gedong Songo temple is very easy to reach. This tourist object can reach from the city by land transportation such as car or motor. If you come from out of Central Java, you can take air transportation first and arrive at Semarang city, the capital city of Central Java. Here is a mileage to reach this tourist object from the close region/ city/ district :

** Ungaran district – Gedong Songo Temple : 25 km

** Ambarawa regency – Gedong Songo Temple : 15 km

** Semarang city – Gedong Songo Temple :  45 km

What to see?      

Different with other temple complex in Indonesia, which might be hot in day, Gedong Songo temple is very cool and make you don’t want to move so fast. The location which is in the slope of mountain, make this place is very cool even in the day. Temple which was built on 9 Masehi has very beautiful scenery too. This is more than temple, you can see various plants, trees and flower which neatly planted. Those around Gedong Songo Temple, there is group of pine fores and sulphurous spring. So this is very greenlicious temple complex in Semarang. Gedong Songo is often become the favourite place for taking photograph of Pre Wedding photos.

As the previous explanation if Gedong Songo temple have 7 temple building. A light mist fell from the top of the mountain often appear unable to lead the eye from a distance looked Gedongsongo temple. To reach the first temple called Candi 1 ( Temple One ), you have to walk approximately 200 meters through the path that goes up. The bigger number of temple, it means you have to goes up for more path way. Between Candi III ( Temple III ) and Candi IV ( Temple IV ) you can find source of hot water with high sulfur content. This place is one of favourite object in Gedong Songo temple. In this object, Gedong Songo provide warm bath near the building which is called Kepunden. The smell of sulfur is very strong and the hot spring had pretty thick cloud.

What to do?

Many activities can do in Gedong Songo temple. You can walking around the complex, step up by the path way, enjoy the beautiful scenery, warm bathing, photograpgh and ride around with the horses. Horses are facilities provide in Gedong Songo to help tourist reach the complex of candi without getting tired goes up the path way. Ride hourses help by the guide will make you enjoy the beautiful scenery and step up with feeling great.

Horses service is very cheap for the tourist. This is rate or price* for the horses service related to the distance :

·         Village Trip Rp 25.000/ $3 for local tourist and Rp 35.000/ $4,12 for foreign tourist

·         To Kepunden/ Hot Spring  Rp 40.000/ $4,7 for local tourist and Rp 60.000/ $7 for foreign tourist

·         To Candi II Rp 30.000/ $3,53 for local tourist and Rp 40.000/ $4,7 for foreign tourist

·         Gedong Songo Temple Trip Rp 50.000/ $5,88 for local tourist and Rp 70.000/ $8,23 for foreign tourist

Meanwhile, the entrance fee* to Gedong Songo is about Rp 5.000/ $0,6 for local tourist and Rp 25.000/ $3 for international tourist.

Facilities

·         Restaurant

·         Hotel/ Inn near Gedong Songo Temple

·         Gazebo

·         Horses

·         Park

*rate may changes in the future