Sewu Temple is located adjacent to Prambanan Temple, so currently Sewu Temple is included in the Prambanan Temple tourist area. In the tourist area there are also Lumbung Temple and Bubrah Temple. Not far from the area there are also several other temples, namely: Gana Temple, about 300 m to the east, Kulon Temple about 300 m to the west, and Lor Temple about 200 m to the north. The location of Sewu Temple, the largest Buddhist temple after Borobudur Temple, with Prambanan Temple, which is a Hindu temple, shows that at that time the Hindu and Buddhist communities lived side by side in harmony.

The name Sewu, which in Javanese means a thousand, shows that the number of temples included in the Sewu Temple cluster is quite large, although in fact it does not reach 1000. To be precise, the Sewu Temple cluster consists of 249 temples, consisting of 1 main temple, 8 flanking temples or intermediate temples, and 240 ancillary temples. The main temple is located in the center, surrounded on all four sides by flanking temples and ancillary temples in a symmetrical arrangement.

Sewu Temple has 4 gates leading to the outer courtyard, namely on the east, north, west, and south sides, each of which is guarded by a pair of Dwarapala statues facing each other. From the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard there are also 4 entrances guarded by a pair of Dwarapala statues, similar to those found at the outer gate.

The Dwarapala statues made of solid stone are placed on a square base about 1.2 m high in a position with one leg kneeling, the other leg bent, and one hand holding a mace. The height of this Dwarapala statue reaches about 2.3 m.

The main temple or main temple is located in a square courtyard of 40 m2, which is surrounded by a fence made of stone arrangements 0.85 m high. The temple building is in the form of a 20-angled polygon with a diameter of 29 m. The height of the building reaches 30 m with 9 roofs, each of which has a stupa at the top.

The body of the temple stands on a platform about 2.5 m high. The foot of the temple is decorated with carvings with floral motifs in vases. To reach the surface of the platform that forms a corridor, there are stairs about 2 m wide equipped with stair cheeks. The base of the stair cheeks is decorated with makara, a dragon's head with a wide gaping mouth, with a Buddha statue inside. The outer wall of the stair cheeks is decorated with carvings in the form of a giant Kalpawreksa. Above the threshold there is no Kalamakara, but the walls to the left and right of the threshold are decorated with carvings of dragon heads with gaping mouths. Different from the one at the base of the stair cheeks, it is not Buddha that is in the dragon's mouth, but a lion.

The main temple, built of andesite stone, has a main door on the east side, so it can be said that this main temple faces east. In addition to the main door, there are 3 other doors, namely those facing north, west and south. All entrances are equipped with viewing rooms. The interior of the temple is cube-shaped with walls made of red brick. Inside this room there is an 'asana'. On the outer walls of the body and the base of the roof of the temple there are niches containing Buddha statues in various positions.

The ancillary temples and apit temples are all located in the outer courtyard. On each side there is a pair of apit temples located between the main temple and the inner row of ancillary temples. Each pair of apit temples face each other, flanking the path that divides the courtyard leading to the main temple.

The apit temples stand on a rock about 1 m high, equipped with stairs about 1 m wide leading to the corridor on the surface of the foot of the temple. Above the threshold is not decorated with Kalamakara carvings, but several relief panels. The roof of the temple is in the form of a stupa with a row of small stupas decorating its base. The walls of the body of the apit temple are decorated with figures of men dressed in grandeur, looking like gods, in a standing position holding a lotus stem in their hands.

The ancillary temples were built in four rows each on the outermost side surrounding the main temple and the apit temple. In the innermost row there are 28 buildings, the second row has 44 buildings, the third row has 80 buildings, and the fourth row has 88 buildings. All the ancillary temples, except those in the third row, face outward or have their backs to the main temple. Only those in the third row face inward. Most of the ancillary temples are in a state of disrepair, only piles of stones remain.