East Java Series: Trowulan, Mojokerto

Travel Date: May 15, 2015

According to this site...

Trowulan is an archaeological site located in Trowulan Subdistric, Mojokerto Regency in East Java. The city is the only Hindu-Buddha classical age site in Indonesia that has been discovered. The site covers an area of 11 km x 9 km. 

The Vain Traveler goes to Trowulan

I found out about Trowulan while researching for places to see in Surabaya. Somehow the name popped out and immediately tried to research more about this city. Mind you, information about this destination especially in english language was not easy to come by. There were only a few websites describing this archeological site. I have finally decided to include this in our itinerary to check out first hand this underrated historical site of East Java.

For more information about Trowulan, you might check out the reviews in Tripadvisor and Wonderful Indonesia.

Admittedly, i had no idea what to expect with this side trip from Surabaya. I was fortunate that my friends were game with this adventure. 

So if you ever find yourself contemplating in visiting Trowulan, let these details of our day trip help you consider ...

GETTING TO/FROM/AROUND

I guess this is the best way to travel around the temples since most of the temples are situated away from each other. Local transportations were likewise available. I have read some used local buses if traveling from other cities then ojek (motorcycle) to visit the temples. But for us, foreigners, we opted to rent a car instead.

Travel from and to Surabaya took us 1 hour and 30 minutes, one way. 

Details of our transportation can be found in our Surabaya blog.

ITINERARY

We originally planned to leave Surabaya in the morning but later changed it to after lunch.

I have read that the recommended jump off point in visiting the trowulan temples was to pay a visit to the museum.

Trowulan Museum is an archeological museum that houses artifacts and some relics from the Majapahit Kingdom. It was originally built to avoid looting and stealing from the archeological sites.

Parking Fee: 3,000 IDR

Entrance Fee: 5,000 IDR

here is a simple map of the museum to help you navigate your way around trowulan.

I would recommend staying at least 45 minutes to check out the museum.

 

Our next stop was Candi Bajang Ratu. Bajang Ratu is an elegant red brick paduraksa gate dating from the mid-14th century, which its function remains unknown.

Next to our list was Candi Tikus. Candi Tikus means rat temple. The site was den for a colony of rats. It was believed to be a bathing place for the imperial family. Others perceived that that it was a water reservoir. It was also suggested that it functioned as a worship shrine because of the pyramidal tower.

Our last stop was Patung Buddha Tidur. Patung Buddha Tidur means Sleeping Buddha. This is the 3rd largest reclining buddha in the world after Thailand and Nepal. 

Entrance Fee: 2,000 IDR

We finished our tour at around 4:30 pm so we decided to go back to Surabaya in time for our dinner plans.

Last Thoughts about Trowulan, Mojokerto

Personally, half day tour is not enough to cover all temples but given the short time we had, we were satisfied with our visit. Moreover, i can see that the city is trying to improve the tourism of the temples. I would like to commend on how caretakers of the temples try to keep the vicinity clean and accessible. However, there are still few more issues to cover and it would be best to have a uniform system in all of the temples for tourists, like us, to fully enjoy the experience.

The reason i really pushed through with this side trip is because i'm a sucker for temples. I love exploring temples! i love its rich history and intricate details of each structure. Trowulan is surely a nice discovery.

So if you're like me who loves exploring temples and/or trying to keep off from the usual tourist-y destinations then maybe you should give Trowulan a visit if you're in East Java, Indonesia.