The intricately carved statues and reliefs are some of the best preserved in Indonesia, but the dig is being conducted under tight security to protect the site from well-organized relic thieves. The temple was found on the grounds of Yogyakarta's Islamic University as workers probed the ground to lay foundations for a new library, and they realized the earth beneath their feet was not stable. Digging soon revealed an extraordinary find: three meters underground were still-standing temple walls. Heavy rains then exposed the top of a statue of the god Ganesha in pristine condition. A few weeks into the excavation, archaeologists are declaring the temple and its rare and beautiful statues an important discovery that could provide insights into Indonesia's pre-Islamic culture. A volcanic eruption is thought most likely to have covered the temple around the 10th century.
The eruption preserved its statues and reliefs in better condition than almost everything else discovered in Indonesia from that period, including the Borobodur and Prambanan temple complexes. But now that they are exposed, the temple's contents need to be protected with 24-hour security. Last November, thieves plundered the nearby Plaosan Temple. The heads of two rare Buddhist statues were stolen, to be traded by organized syndicates dealing in artifacts.