Prambanan Temple Built around the middle of the ninth century, Prambanan Temple approximately twenty kilometers from Yogjakarta, is arguably Central Java’s greatest architectural achievement. While not so large as the famous Borobudur, Prambanan displays and elegance and majesty which is surely unsurpassed anywhere in South East Asia. History The exact date of when the Prambanan Temples were built is still in argument. However, there are two opinions of who built the Temple. One opinion states that there was only one dynasty, Cailendra Dynasty, before Prambanan Temple was built. The second opinion states that there were two dynasties, Cailendra and Sanjaya Dynasty, and thus the differing opinions. However, it is most widely agreed that the Sanjaya Dynasty was Prambanan Temple responsible for the building of the Temples. For many years, the Temple was not looked after and due to many environmental occurrences, such as volcanoes and earthquakes, the Temple has been damaged numerous times. In the late 1800s, a duchman named Groneman chose to repair and restore Prambanan Temple. He began by pulling down parts of the Temple and placing the stones to one saide. Millions of stones were removed and left at the base of the neighbouring Temples. However, the man had no archeological background, and so he was unable to put the stones back together! The stones are still laying there today, numbered, and waiting to be put back. The Temples were built by ordinary people, and at the east was planted a "Tanjung tree" which was considered sacred, as a way for their Gods to descend to earth. Furthermore the Temple complex had an irrigation system and buildings for the priests. When the building of Ciwa Temple was finished, the flow of a river was diverted passing alongside the walls of the main Temple, separating the main Temple and the smaller Temples. Architecture Prambanan, named after the village, is the biggest Temple complex in Java. There are 224 Temples in the complex: three of them, the main Temples are Brahma Temple in the north, Vishnu Temple in the south, and the biggest among the three which lies between Brahma and Vishnu Temples is Shiva Temple (47 meters high). These three ancient masterpieces of Hindu architecture are locally referred to as Prambanan Temple of Lorojoggrang Temple. On of its appeals is the wealth of sculptural detail. The well known one is on the inner wall of the balustrade, the wonderfully vital and engrossing Ramayana episodes. The Temple complex has three concentric squares Outer square (222 x 390 meters) surrounded by a 1 meter boundary wall Middle square (110 x 110 meters) surrounded by a 1 meter boundary wall Center square (34 x 34 meters) surrounded by a 1 meter boundary wall All the three squares have gates to connect the other squares. The outer square do not have Temples. Inside the middle square there are 224 Perwara Temples which are arranged in 4 rows. The first row consists of 68 Temples, followed by the second row (60 Temples), the third row (52 Temples) and the fourth row (44 Temples). The arrangement of Temples is in such a way that shorter Temples lie in the outside and getting higher towards the center. In the center square are sixteen small and big Temples. Some of them are Ciwa (Shiva) Temple as the main Temple Wisnu Temple in the North of Ciwa Temple Brahma Temple in the South of Ciwa Temple Nandi Temple in front of Ciwa Temple Temple A and B lies in front of Wisnu and Ciwa Temple Apit Temple lies in the North and the South flanking row of Temples – the West and East row (apit = to flank) Four Kelir Temples in front of each gate of the main square Four Sudut Temples (sudut = corner) at each of the corners of the main square. Building Materials Prambanan is built mainly of large stones from Mount Merapi, with the use of cement and iron to join it, decorated with carvings. Religious Connections The Prambanan Temple is a Hindu Temple, with some Buddhist influence. Every full moon, a full wayang theatre presentation is given, depicting the story of the Ramayana, for the duration of nine hours. This ‘Ramayana’ story originated from india, and is famous in Indonesia Around the Prambanan Temple are other smaller Temples, but in the large one can be seen important carvings about the Hindu religion. The Prambanan Temples are Hindu, because the Sanjaya dynasty who constructed it had been Hindu. Simultaneously, during that very period, the dynasty of Sailendra whose religion was Buddhism, was also blooming, and reached its peak. Thus the slight Buddhist influence upon the Temple. During this period, the school of Hinduism followers belonged to the sect of Siwa. The statue of Siwa was constructed as the greatest statue among others. It is 3 meters high and is in a standing position as if meditating. At the base of the statue is a lotus flower, and it holds water. The used water and flower are considered to have magical properties by the Hundus, and a vase is used to hold it, for the sacred water is much sought after. Art As mentioned, the walls of the Prambanan Temple tell the story of the Ramayana through the many carvings. There are also many Hindu presentations, such as a "Lion and Monkey Dance’ performed every full moon, and an art show. A statue found at Prambanan, Durga’s statue, is also called Loro jonggrang, after the name of a Jaanese princess who had to marry a prince she did not love. She eventually promised him her hand, under the condition that, between the setting and rising of the sun, he build a Temple ornamented with 1000 statues. As he was on the verge of succeeding with the help of supernatural creatures, the Princess set up a fire in the East to make them believe that the sun was about to rise. This trick made the Prince furious and he changed Loro Jonggrang into a stone statue, the final touch in the construction of his Temple. This statue is considered the most beautiful of the Prambanan complex. Restoration The reconstruction of the Prambanan started only in 1918, and though work on the main Temple was completed in 1953, the reconstruction is not yet complete. The reason is because in addition to earthquake, volcanoes and Gorneman, many of the monuments were simply abandoned, rather than being defaced or destroyed. The greatest damage to Temples in Indonesia have come in the last century, as expanding populations have moved into formerly deserted areas and pillaged ruins for building materials, or by art collectors, who have carted away sculptures for museums and private collections. The restoration which finished on December 20, 1953 completed around 240 Temples, such as two Apit Temples, four Kelir Temples, four Sudut Temples, two Perwara Temples and two entrance gates. The latest restoration occurred using the Government Routine Development Budget. The planned restorations included Brahma Temple (begun in 1978) and Wisnu Temple (1982).