Wringinlawang Temple, Mojokerto
Wringinlawang Temple is located in Wringinlawang Hamlet, Jati Pasar Village, Trowulan Subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, or 11 km from Mojokerto en route to Jombang. Legend has it that near the temple there was a big banyan tree, and the temple was named after it (in Javanese, wringin is banyan tree, and lawang is door).
Little is known about the period in which the temple was built and about its function. In Raffles’ account in 1815, this ancient building is called Gapura Jati Paser, which probably was derived from the name of the village where the temple is located. In Knebel (1907), this structure is called 'Wringinlawang Gate'. Wringinlawang is a type of bentar temple, i.e. gate without roof. Bentar temple usually functions as the outermost gate of a building compound. From the shape, Wringinlawang Gate is probably a gate that leads to one of the building compounds within the city of Majapahit.
Wringinlawang was restored in a period between 1991 and 1995. The whole structure that faces towards east and west is made of red bricks. Its foundation is square, 13 x 11.50 m in dimension.
Before restoration, the southern half of the gate was still intact, standing 15.50 m high, while the northern half was only 9 meter high. To the left and right of the stairs leading to the space between the two halves of the gate there is a partition wall 2 m high.
The space between the two halves is quite large. No engravings or relieves are found on the temple walls. The temple’s roof is a layered pyramid with square top. The shape of the roof and the upside-down pyramid ornaments on the roof are similar to those found on Bajangratu Temple.
