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Not long after defeating the rightful heir
to the Buddhist Sailendra Dynasty
and converting his kingdom into the Hindu
Mataram kingdom, the succeeding kings of the
Sanjaya Dynasty set about erecting the biggest
Hindu temple complex on Java island. It
was said that King Daksa was responsible
for building many major Hindu temples shortly
after he ascended the throne in 910 though
some sources point to his predecessor King
Balitung. Documentary information on the temples
and kingdom are fairly limited.
Today this complex of multiple majestic towers
is known as the Prambanan Temple, the
largest and grandest in Indonesia and one
of the biggest in South-east Asia. It
has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
site. There was approximately 240 towers of
shrines but only around 10 of them have
been restored. Work started in 1918 and
the rescue process is still on-going. Due
to shortage of funds and excessive loss
of original materials, the process has been
slow. The recent earthquake of 2006 caused
much damage to already resurrected ones. Entry
into these towers is now disallowed until
repairs have rendered them safe again.
Prambanan temple is generally dedicated to God
Siva or Siwa in Indonesia. It was believed
that during the period of its construction,
followers were mainly of the ‘Siva sect’,
Siva was regarded as the Supreme God or
Mahadeva. It was further said that King
Balitung was revered as the ‘deva-raja’ or
‘god king’, he was a re-incarnation of
Siva and when he died the temple was
built to commemorate him as Siva.
According to locals, this temple is also
known as Candi Lara Jonggrang or Temple
of the Slender Virgin following a famous
legend. In certain versions, Candi Lara Jonggrang
only refers to the main tower dedicated
to God Siva and the ‘slender virgin’ is
depicted by a beautiful statue of his
consort (Durga Mahisasuramardani) in one of
its side chambers.
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Six of the majestic towers standing on the legendary
fertile plains once the site of a prosperous civilisation.
According to folklore, the beautiful princess Lara Jonggrang was forced to marry
the evil Bandung Bondowoso. After much negotiation, he agreed that it will be conditional
upon building 1000 statues. However, he was not able to finish the final one due
to the princess’ clever trick to foil his effort. In rage, he turned the princess
into the 1000 th statue. The statue of the ‘slender virgin’ is now in the north
chamber of the main tower.
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The complex originally had 3 zones: outer zone with a rectangular perimeter wall
(no more in existence), middle zone consisting of 224 individual smaller towers
– candi perwara and central compound which is the holiest area for 16 big shrines
for the gods and other deities.
The central compound encompasses the area on an elevated platform. Standing on it
are the 3 largest shrines dedicated to gods Siva, Brahma and Vishnu, 3 slightly
smaller ones to their respective vehicles and other minor shrines (their functions
are unclear).
Most of the candi perwaras are now in the form of disintegrated stone blocks. One
of the very few redeemed stands among heaps of stones on the extreme right (middle
ground).
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The largest shrine is dedicated to God Siva. It faces east, stands at 47m tall and
has a width of 34m. There are 5 chambers inside – the central and biggest houses
his stone statue of 3m height and 4 smaller chambers each facing a cardinal direction,
3 of which houses a related deity.
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Stairway to the entrance. The tower stand on a platform
base rising in concentric plains representing the levels of heaven. It is similar
architecture and decorative detailing for all shrines in the central compound though
those to the 3 principle gods are the grandest.
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Highly ornate platform base of a principle shrine
complete with a good drainage system to deal with high storm waters. The creatively
sculptured water spouts - makaras at the corners are most eye-catching.
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The balustrades above the base level are also elaborate
with decorative carvings and narrative bas reliefs of legends and mythical creatures.
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At the centre, above a doorway (hidden in picture), the fierce face of a guardian
deity - Kala. The damage done by the 2006 earthquake is clearly evident.
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One of the 2 smaller shrines called Candi Apit in the central compound. They are
situated near the Vishnu - Brahma temples and their vehicles respectively. The exact
function of these shrines has yet to be clarified.
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A Chandi Kelir, the smallest of the shrines on the central compound and on its immediate
left (back), a beautiful gateway. There are a total of 8 Kelirs and their function
are also yet to be known.
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Three magnificent towers as seen from the open-air
Ramayana ballet theatre site. Some experts are of the opinion that the temple complex
is dedicated to the Hindu Trinity or in Indonesian, Trimuti - ‘three sacred places’
of God Siva, Vishnu and Brahma. The shrines’ walls and balustrades are extensively
covered with narrative bas reliefs on excerpts from the Ramayana epic.
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