Batujaya

Batujaya is a village and district in the North Coast region of Western Java, Indonesia. The district is known for the archaeological site of the Batujaya temples.

Understand
Batujaya is known as the namesake of Batujaya temple complex, which is located partly in the district of Batujaya and partly in the neighbouring Pakisjaya district. Both districts are part of the Karawang regency, and located about 40 km northwest of the regency capital Karawang. The meaning of batu jaya is "glorious stone(s)".

Get in
Batujaya is near Java's north coast, about 40 km northeast of Central Jakarta. Several small roads lead to Batujaya. Key roads include the road from East Bekasi to the north, and the road from Karawang to the north, via Rengasdengklok.

Batujaya can be reached by using local public transport. There is an angkot (public minivan) route from the bus terminal of Karawang to Rengasdengklok, and then another angkot route to Batujaya.

Batujaya archeological site
The historical temple complex of Batujaya was found by archeologists from the University of Indonesia in 1984. At least 30 ' unur ' (mounds of earth consisting of artifacts) have been found, of which part have been uncovered by archeologists. The 'unur ' structures are made of bricks made of mixtures of clay and rice hulls, and thus not made of volcanic rock like other famous temple complex (such as Borobudur). It is assumed that the temples in Batujaya were built during the time of the Tarumanagara kingdom in the 5th or 6th century, which would mean they could be the oldest temples in Java. Experts believe that the temples may be Buddhist (from the Tarumanagara kingdom it is known that they adhered a mixture of Buddhism, Hinduism and early Sundanese beliefs).

Eat
There are various local eateries around the temple complex and in the surrounding villages.

Sleep
There are no hotels in Batujaya. Hotels and other accommodations can be found in Bekasi (30 km), Karawang (40 km), or Jakarta (50 km).

Go next

 * Bekasi — the nearest major city, with many hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls.
 * Rengasdengklok — town where Indonesia's proclamation of independence was first drafted in 1945.