Prambanan Temple Yogyakarta

Prambanan Temple Yogyakarta is a collection of massive Hindu temples (candi) built by the 10th century Mataram Kingdom, rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, in most any other country constructions on the scale of Prambanan would be quickly designated as a national symbol, but in Indonesia they are somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring bulk of Borobudur just next door. The two sites are quite different in style though, with Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jagged pyramids instead of the vast horizontal bulk of Borobudur, and both are well worth a visit.

The Hindu temple complex of Prambanan looks very different than the Buddhist Borobudur

Visiting Prambanan

About 10 miles from Yogyakarta, the main site of Prambanan Temple Yogyakarta contains four temples scattered about a large, landscaped park. Note that some parts of the temple complex are still closed off and undergoing restoration following the May 2006 earthquake.

Candi Lara Jonggrang, or simply Candi Prambanan, is the largest and most-visited of the temples, just to the left of the entrance. While there were 232 temples originally built, most have long since crumbled and the main remaining attractions are the six temples of the central court, richly decorated with carved reliefs. Three of them, known as the Trisakti (“three sacred places”), are particularly important:

Candi Shiva, dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer, is the largest of the six, rising to a height of 147 feet. There are fine reliefs in its forecourt and four chambers with statues. The largest chamber, to the east, contains a statue of Shiva himself, while the south has the sage Agastya, the west his son Ganesh (the elephant-headed) and the north his wife Durga. Durga is also known as Lara Jonggrang (“Slender Virgin”), a legendary beautiful princess turned to stone.

prambanan carving Prambanan Temple Yogyakarta

Pramabanan is full of finely-crafted Hindu imagery

Candi Brahma, to the south, has a statue of Brahma the Creator inside.
Candi Vishnu, to the north, tells the story of Vishnu’s avatar Krishna and has a statue of Vishnu the Preserver inside.

Opposite the three large temples are three smaller temples originally dedicated to the vehicles of the gods. Only the statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull, has survived.

The stonework at Prambanan is astonishly detailed

Candi Lumbung and Candi Bubrah, two Buddhist temples, are located several hundred feet further north.
Candi Sewu, a large Buddhist temple complex meaning “one thousand temples”, is less than a mile north of the entrance gate and contains a large central temple surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones. The sheer size of the recently renovated and intricately decorated central temple is impressive, but the statue niches are all empty.