PRAMBANAN TEMPLE, A MASTERPIECE OF THE PAST

Where is Prambanan temple ? You might asks. It is in Central Java, Indonesia. The closest city is Yogyakarta or Jogjakarta, about fifteen miles away to the west. That is why many people do not realize that it is in the province of Central Java. Solo or Surakarta is another city located about fourty miles to the northeast. The temple of Prambanan lies just beside the main road between Yogyakarta and Surakarta. So it is easily accessible from both cities. It takes only about twenty minutes to get there from the city of Jogjakarta.

Prambanan was built in the early 9^th century by Mataram Kingdom. Then in 11^th century the kingdom fell and the center of power moved to east Java. Since then Prambanan was left for about one thousand year. It was in poor condition when it was found in late 19^th century. Its top fell down and many statues were lost. Restorations done by the Indonesian authority have put back its former grandeur. Unfortunately there was an earthquake in 2006 which destroyed some parts of it. Some of its peak fell down. Today restoration is still going on.

Prambanan is the biggest Hindu temple in Java. It consists of six main temples in the middle part and two hundred and forty-nine smaller ones around it. The main temples are dedicated to Shiva, Brahma and Wisnu. Shiva temple is the tallest and the biggest. Inside of it there four chambers. In the main chamber which faces to the east there is a big statue of Shiva Mahadewa. The other ones face to the south, west and north. Inside the southern chamber there is a statue of Agastya. In the western chamber there is a statue of Ganesya, a Hindu god with an elephant head. And in the northern chamber there is a statue of Durga, a beautiful goddess. In the walls surounding the main temple of Shiva there is a story of Ramayana or the story of King Rama. The story is carved along the stone walls. The temple for Wisnu is to the left of Shiva temple. It is smaller and shorter than Shiva temple. There is only one chamber here. Inside there is a statue of Wisnu, the protector. Along the walls there is a story of Kresnayana carved on it. The temple for Brahma is the same size as the temple for Wisnu. There is only one chamber dedicated for Brahma, the creator. Unfortunately today we cannot get into the Shiva and Brahma temples but we can visit the other ones.

In front of the main temples for the three gods there are three temples for their vehicles. Right in front of Wisnu temple there is a temple for Garuda which mean big bird. In the Hindu mythology it is the vehicle of Wisnu. Unfortunately the statue is no longer there. Someone must had stolen it long time ago. In front of the Shiva temple there is a temple for Nandi. It is a big buffalo which belongs to Shiva. The statue is still there. Behind the buffalo there are two small statues of Soma the god of moon and Surya the god of the sun. In front of the Brahma temple there is a temple for Angsa or goose, the vehicle of Brahma.

These main temples are in the middle part which surrounded by a wall. Outside of the walls there two hundred and fourty-nine smaller temples. Unfortunately almost all of them are destroyed. Their tops fell down. Only the foundation and part of the body remain. There are many ruins of it around so maybe someday the Indonesian authority will be able to restore the whole temple.

Around the temple there is a park with some facilities. There is a museum which keeps many statues and artifacts from the temples. There is also a movie about the temple. The building of the museum is in the Javanese architecture which is very nice. Next to the museum there is a small restaurants and many souvernir shops. The main entrance is in the east where people can find a good angle to take pictures.

To the west of the park there is an open theater for Javanese dance performances with the story of King Rama. It is performed at night. When there is fool moon people can see the beautiful silhouette of the temple.

Below are photographs of the main temple, the statue of Wisnu in Wisnu temple and a depiction of the story of Kresnayana in Wisnu temple.