Prambanan - one of the most famous attractions of Java, Indonesia

Prambanan Temples

The Prambanan Compound has Hindu temples (Prambanan Temples) and Buddhist temples (Sewu, Bubrah and Lumbung Temples). They were built between the 8th and 9th centuries and "rediscovered" by Europeans in the 19th century. In 1991 it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

As it is always good to know a little bit of the history of a place before visiting it, here, we will tell you what we have learned about Prambanan.

The Prambanan Temples

Prambanan was built in the 9th century and dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. The main temple was inaugurated in AD 856. At this time, two powerful families were rivals and the power of the Mataram Kingdom changed between the Sanjaya Dynasty, which was Hindu, and Sailendra Dynasty, who was a Buddhist family.

Temples from the 9th Century

The Sailendra Dynasty, which built Sewu and Borobudur, had been in power for nearly a century when the Hindu prince Rakai Pikatan married the Buddhist princess Pramodhawardhani of the Sailendra Dynasty, transferring the power back to the Sanjaya. And so, the Mataram Kingdom proceeded to favor Shivaism (a branch of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the Supreme God) and commenced the construction of the Temples of Prambanan.

But some historians believe that their marriage not only brought power back to the Sanjaya Dynasty, but it also brought the reconciliation between the two families. The site chosen for the Temples of Prambanan, only 800 meters from the Sewu Temples, prove the theory that there was harmony between Buddhists and Hindus in this period.

_{Prambanan Compound site map. Number 7 is Prambanan and number 12 is Sewu.}

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. There are 240 temples, arranged concentrically, in 3 patios. Sixteen temples stand on a central courtyard, considered to be the most sacred ones. In the second courtyard there are 224 Perwara (complementary) temples, arranged in 4 rows, circling the main courtyard. But most of these temples are in ruins and only two have been successfully restored. And in the third courtyard there are no temple.

_{Map of the Temples of Prambanan. Notice the 224 Perwara temples circling the central courtyard, where the 16 main temples are located.}

Among the 16 main temples we can find the 3 Primurti temples. The highest and largest one, is 47.6 meters high, dedicated to Shiva (the Destroyer) and represents the position of Shiva as the highest God in the Hindu belief. The temples dedicated to the Gods Brahma (the Creator) and Vishnu (the Guardian), each 33 meters high, stand on either side of the Shiva temple.

_{Temple of Shiva in the middle, with the temples of Vishnu and Brama on each side.}

The Shiva Temple contains four chambers, with a statue inside of each one. The statues are of Shiva, Agastya, Ganesha and Durga (wife of Shiva). In the temples of Brahma and Vishnu we can only find one chamber in each one and the statues of Brahma and Vishnu themselves are inside.

_{Statues inside each chamber of the Shiva Temple}

Other 3 temples are positioned in front of each of the main temples and are called Wahana temples, dedicated to the vehicles of the Gods. The Nandi bull is the vehicle of Shiva and the only one that still has a statue inside. The Swan Hamsa is the vehicle of Brahma and Garuda (a mythical bird, resembling an eagle) is the vehicle of God Vishnu. That's why the Indonesian airline is called Garuda Indonesia! Garuda is also the national symbol of Indonesia.

Located at each corner the main courtyard, we also find the four small Patok temples. Also two Apit temples (located north and south, between the ranks of the Primurti and Wahana temples) and four Kelir temples (located at the four cardinal points). Kelir temples are guardian temples, with the function of repelling calamities.

_{Garuda Temple on the right, one of the Apit temples in the middle and a Kelir temple on the left}

These temples have some unique reliefs that are called The Prambanan motifs. One of the most famous is the motif of Kinara and Kinari (two creatures depicted with bird bodies and human heads) guarding the Kalpataru tree (divine tree in Hindu mythology, also called the tree of life). Another equally famous motif is the image of a lion, inside a niche, with two Kalpataru trees on each side.

_{Prambanan motifs}

On the inside of the parapets of the temples of Shiva and Brahma we find relief panels that tell the story of Ramayana (one of the greatest ancient epistles in world literature, which tells of Rama's life). The narrative begins at the east entrance of the Shiva temple and, turning left, follows clockwise around the temple and it then continues in the temple of Brahma in the same way. The parapet of the temple of Vishnu was carved with the history of the God Krishna.

_{The story of Ramayana in relief panels}

_{Reliefs on the inside of the Shiva Temple's parapets}

The Legend of Roro Jonggrang

This popular legend is about a prince named Bandung Bondowoso, who wanted to marry Roro Jongrang, daughter of King Boko. But Roro Jonggrang did not want to marry him, for he had killed her father. Thus, she placed an impossible condition on the marriage. Bondowoso would have to build a thousand temples in one night! He agreed to the condition and asked for the help of supernatural beings.

_{Prambanan is also called Roro Jonggrang by the locals}

When Roro Jonggrang realized he was about to make it, she woke the women of the palace and ordered them to burn rice straw. With the light of the fire, the supernatural beings thought it was already dawning and they fled, leaving the work incomplete.

The prince was furious at the princess's trick and decided to curse her. He turned her into a stone so he could complete the construction of the last temple and thus, Roro Jonggrang became the statue of Durga, which stands in one of the chambers of the temple of Shiva.

_{Durga, the stone statue of Roro Jonggrang}

This legend explains not only the origin of the statue of Durga in the temple of Shiva, but also associates Prambanan to Ratu Boko Palace, from King Boko (father of Roro Jonggrang), which is 3 km from Prambanan.

It also explains the origin of the Sewu temple that would be part of the thousand temples, since "Sewu" means, thousands, in the Javanese language.

The legend also clarifies the fact of Prambanan being called Roro Jonggrang by the locals.

The Sewu Temples

_{The Sewu Temples}

The Sewu Temples are within the Prambanan Compound, about 800 meters north of the Prambanan Temples. It is the second largest complex of Buddhist temples on the island of Java, after Borobudur. It is probably a Royal temple, due to its greatness.

The ancient inscriptions of Kelurak (AD 782 - written in Sanskrit) and Manjusrigrha (AD 792 - written in Malay and ancient Javanese) speak about the Temples of Sewu. From these two inscriptions we know that Sewu is based on Buddhism and that its original name was Manjusrigrha.

Its construction took place in the late 8th century, during the reigns of Rakai Panangkaran (760 to 775 AD) and Indra (775 to 800 AD), of the Sailendra Dynasty. Therefore, they precede the Temples of Prambanan for over 70 years and Borobudur for at least 37 years.

_{Sewu is older than Prambanan and Borobudur}

There are 249 temples, arranged in the form of a mandala, symbolizing the universe in the Buddhist cosmology. A central temple, eight Penjuru temples and 240 Perwara (complementary) temples.

The Perwara temples are divided into 4 concentric rectangular rows, separated into 72 temples arranged in the two inner rows, with a certain interval between them, and 168 smaller temples in the two outer rows, closer to each other.

_{Map of Sewu Temples}

The Penjuru temples, being two in each of the cardinal points, facing each other, are between the two inner rows and the two outer rows and are the largest temples of the complex, after the main temple. Unfortunately only the temples on the east side and those on the north side are still standing.

The main temple is 30 metres high and its floorplan shows the model of a 20-sided polygon, forming a cross. It is interesting to note the various stupas in the same style of Borobudur. At each of the four cardinal points there is a staircase leading into a chamber. These chambers are interconnected and the east side leads to the fifth room, which is in the center of the structure.

_{The main temple}

_{Many stupas similar to the ones in Bodobudur}

Two giant statues of guardian warriors, called Dvarapala, guard each of the four entrances to the complex of the Sewu Temples.

_Dvarapala

Lumbung Temples

It is a small complex of Buddhist temples that belongs to the Prambanan Compound. It was built around 850 AD and is located between the Temples of Sewu and Prambanan. It has only one central temple and 16 smaller temples around it. It houses 120 images inside its chambers and, in the exterior, we find images of feminine deities.

_{Images of feminine deities were found in Lumbung Temples}

Bubrah Temple

Located within the Prambanan Compound, Bubrah Temple is adjacent to the Lumbung Temples. It is Buddhist and was built around the 9th century.

Bubrah in Javanese means damaged and this temple really is in a very bad condition. When it was found, it contained only a few Buddhist statues.

It is currently undergoing a restoration and was we could see scaffolding around the whole temple when we visited.

_{Still undergoing restauration}

The Rediscovery of Prambanan

There are several theories about the moving, from Central Java to East Java, of the Mataram Kingdom. Different historians propose different reasons. One of the most accepted theory, says that there was a major natural disaster. But others also state power struggles, epidemics, religious or economic reasons.

Mount Merapi erupted around AD 929, reinforcing the theory of the natural disaster, as the time coincides with the period of the kingdom move. The volcano would have destroyed the capital of the Mataram Kingdom and it ended the era of temple construction. The temples of the region were abandoned and began to deteriorate. A major earthquake in the sixteenth century further worsened the situation, knocking down several of temples, transforming them into ruins.

In 1811 the ruins of Prambanan were found by an official of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. The Javanese people of the neighborhood already knew of its existence, but as they had no historical knowledge, they created tales and legends, giving a supernatural origin to the temples.

Even after being discovered, they remained neglected for many decades yet. A few excavations were badly done and it only facilitated the pillage of sculptures by the Dutch and the English. The locals also looted stones from the temples, to be used as construction materials for their houses.

They only started a proper restoration in 1930. These efforts continue to this day.

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