The Lothal Jedi Temple, a colossal and ancient construction, was erected and preserved by the Jedi Order before 3277 BBY. Situated in the northern region of the planet Lothal, found within the Outer Rim Territories, it stood as one of numerous Jedi temples scattered throughout the galaxy, and notably, it was among the few spared from destruction by the Galactic Empire. Integrating into a natural stone pinnacle and the extensive network of caverns beneath, the Temple was commissioned by the Jedi due to the potent vergence detected at that specific location.
This site evolved into a training ground where Jedi Masters would assess their Padawans' readiness for becoming a full-fledged Jedi. In 4 BBY, Kanan Jarrus escorted his Padawan, Ezra Bridger, to the temple some years prior to the Battle of Yavin, and also brought Ahsoka Tano there on another occasion. Upon the Galactic Empire's discovery of the Temple, it was transformed into a site for excavating and research until its destruction in 1 BBY. Several standard years later, Luke Skywalker visited the temple's former location; although the structure was gone, he could still sense its presence through the Force.
The Jedi Temple, located in Lothal's northern hemisphere, was erected by Jedi pilgrims of the Jedi Order before 3277 BBY during their mission. It was built atop a natural source of Force energy, concentrated beneath the surface within a network of caves and tunnels. These caverns were reinforced by the Jedi who discovered the site, using elaborate stone pillars and embellishing the walls with glyphs and paintings. They also implemented tile and stone artwork to create meditation chambers and areas dedicated to scholarly pursuits and reflection. Leveraging their Force abilities, the Jedi pilgrims detached the central rock spire from the earth, carved out its interior, and constructed a prominent entrance at its base, along with a secondary entrance partway up its sides. Employing Force-inspired architectural techniques, the Jedi resettled the spire into the ground, anchoring it to the bedrock to safeguard the Temple from intruders and concealing the entrances.
Access to the Temple necessitated the coordinated effort of a master and apprentice, utilizing the Force to elevate the spire in a counter-clockwise, corkscrew motion. A lapse in concentration from either individual would cause the structure to sink back into the earth. The upper entrance hall was austere, leading to a small meditation chamber with a single portal to the subterranean caverns beyond the spire's outer wall. Once the spire was raised again, revealing the main entrance at its base, the doorways extending from the grand entrance aligned with various halls that provided access to different cave systems.
The Temple grounds featured expansive, concentric circles, symbolizing the light side and dark sides of the Force. These circles emanated from the central spire, encircling the smaller, natural towers. Interspersed among the symbols was an ancient emblem of the Order, marking the designated location for Master-Padawan teams to stand when attempting to unlock the Temple. It was believed that the markings on the ground emitted a radiant light within the Force when harnessing it to raise the spire.
The vergence that the Jedi had initially sensed at this location was quickly determined to be related to the nature of attachment, and it became the central theme of the Jedi trial known as the Ordeal. Jedi would escort their Padawans on a pilgrimage to the Lothal Temple to assess the strength of their bond. The initial challenge involved jointly opening the Temple to reveal the entrance. Once opened, the Master would begin meditating in the entrance hall while their Padawan ventured into the caverns beyond to confront their Ordeal. Navigating through the tunnels, the Padawan would encounter powerful visions that would challenge their attachment to their Master, comrades, and the Order itself. Success in withstanding these visions would enable the Padawan to find their way back to their Master; failure would result in both Master and Padawan being permanently trapped within the Temple.
The Jedi Temple also contained a painting of the Mortis gods, which functioned as a portal to the World Between Worlds. This mystical domain allowed for time travel and the manipulation of the universe's destiny.
The Jedi Order established the Lothal Jedi Temple well before the rise of the Galactic Empire during a mission to Lothal. Following the collapse of the Jedi Order at the conclusion of the Clone Wars, records of the Lothal Temple were lost. Although some records remained, detailing its location and purpose, only a Jedi could decipher the references and clues necessary to locate it. Approximately four years before the Battle of Yavin, Ezra Bridger and his master Kanan Jarrus journeyed to the Temple to finalize Bridger's Jedi training. As part of the Ordeal, Bridger entered the Temple's caverns and faced three distinct trials involving Force visions of the Grand Inquisitor killing Jarrus and the other Spectres, as well as the bones of deceased Jedi. After completing the Ordeal, Bridger encountered the disembodied voice of Jedi Master Yoda, who questioned Bridger's reasons for pursuing the path of a Jedi. Satisfied with his answers, Yoda gifted the young apprentice a kyber crystal that he used to construct his lightsaber.
A year later, Jarrus and Bridger returned to the Temple with former Jedi Padawan and Clone Wars veteran Ahsoka Tano, seeking Master Yoda's guidance regarding the threat posed by the Empire's Inquisitors. While Bridger communicated with Yoda's spectral form, Jarrus underwent his Jedi Trials, facing Force manifestations that took the form of Jedi Temple Guards within one of the Coruscant Jedi Temple's dojos. Simultaneously, Tano experienced a vision of her former master Anakin Skywalker and discovered his transformation into Darth Vader. Upon Jarrus's emergence from his Trials as a Jedi Knight, having been knighted by the phantom of his former adversary, the Grand Inquisitor, the Temple was defiled by the two Inquisitors known as the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister. This intrusion by non-Jedi damaged the Temple, as the Inquisitors forced the central spire to rise unnaturally, disrupting the vergence. The Force nexus overwhelmed the intruders with visions, with the spectral forms of the Temple Guards restraining the Inquisitors while the Jedi escaped. Shortly thereafter, Imperial forces under Vader's command arrived and secured the Temple.
With the Temple under Imperial control, the Emperor Palpatine orchestrated the removal of a section of the Temple, stone by stone, aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera, with the intention of unlocking the "Gateway" to the World Between Worlds. Following the Attack on Lothal, the Loth-wolves alerted Bridger to the Empire's threat to the Temple, prompting the Padawan to lead a mission there in 1 BBY. The Spectres discovered that the Empire and Mining Guild, under Minister Veris Hydan, were excavating the Jedi Temple in hopes of unlocking the Painting of the Mortis gods, which proved to be a "Gateway" to the World Between Worlds. By this point, the Imperials and Mining Guild had unearthed numerous artifacts from the Temple.
Disguised as scout troopers, Bridger and the Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren successfully infiltrated the camp. Using a key stone provided by the loth-wolves, Bridger and Sabine determined that manipulating the Daughter's hand was the key to unlocking the "Gateway." Although Sabine was captured, Ezra managed to open the portal and enter the World Between Worlds. Inside, Bridger rescued Tano from Darth Vader, and together they evaded the Emperor's grasp. Meanwhile, Hera Syndulla and Garazeb Orrelios rescued Wren from Minister Hydan. Wren discovered that the Son's hand was the key to sealing the "Gateway." After reuniting with Bridger, the Spectres sealed the Gateway to the World Between Worlds, denying the Emperor access to the mystical realm. The act of sealing the Gateway caused the Temple to collapse back into the ground, taking Hydan with it.
Despite the Temple's destruction, the Emperor, aided by Grand Admiral Thrawn, attempted to utilize a portion of the Temple to access the World Between Worlds. However, Ezra destroyed the structure aboard the Chimaera, foiling the Emperor's schemes to control time and the universe.
Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Luke Skywalker accessed a list of Imperial records pertaining to known Jedi sites throughout the galaxy and noticed Lothal on the list. Accompanied by his astromech droid companion R2-D2, he journeyed to Lothal and located the temple's site, but was perplexed by the sensations he experienced upon approaching it. Skywalker sensed that the Lothal site required the Force to be opened, but it inexplicably refused to respond to him. He observed that the site felt buried, as if it had vanished long ago.
The Lothal Jedi Temple made its debut in "Path of the Jedi," the tenth episode of the first season of the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
The ancient script within was inspired by writing featured in concept art by Ralph McQuarrie in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe.