History and Originsb Mendut Temple was built around 824 AD during the golden age of the Sailendra Dynasty, under the reign of King Indra. According to the Karangtengah inscription, the temple was originally named Venu Vana Mandira, which poetically translates to "the temple in the middle of a bamboo forest". After centuries of being buried under volcanic ash and dense jungle growth, the ruins were rediscovered by the Dutch in 1836. Major restoration efforts took place between 1897 and 1925 to bring the structure back to its original grandeur.