Prambanan Temple Compounds

Candi Prambanan or Candi Rara Jonggrang is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Central Java,
dedicated to theTrimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and
the Destroyer (Shiva). The temple compound is located approximately 17 kilometres northeast of the
city of Yogyakarta.
The present name of the temple, Prambanan', was derived from the name of Prambanan village where
the temple is, this name is comparable with parahyangan (western part of Java island), comes from
the root hyang, means god, or (e)yang, means ancestor in Javanese.
The popular legend of Rara Jonggrang is what in northern chamber of the main shrine. The legend tells
of the story about Prince Bandung Bondowoso who fell in love with Princess Rara Jonggrang, the
daughter of King Boko. But the princess rejected his proposal of marriage because Bandung
Bondowoso had killed King Boko and ruled her kingdom. Finally Rara Jonggrang was forced to agree for
a union in marriage, but she posed one impossible condition: Bandung must build a thousand temples
in only one night. The Prince entered into meditation and conjured up a multitude of spirits (demons)
from the earth. Helped by supernatural beings, he succeeded in building 999 temples. When the prince
was about to complete the condition, the princess woke her palace maids and ordered the women of
the village to begin pounding rice and set a fire in the east of the temple, attempting to make the
prince and the spirits believe that the sun was about to rise. The prince was furious about the trick and
in revenge he cursed Rara Jonggrang to stone.
The architecture of Prambanan temple follows the typical Hindu architecture traditions based on Vastu
Shastra(means science of architecture and construction.). The temple design incorporated mandala
temple plan arrangements and also the typical high towering spires of Hindu temples. The temple was
designed to mimic Meru, the holy mountain the abode of Hindu gods, and the home of Shiva. The
whole temple complex is a model of Hindu universe according to Hindu cosmology and the layers of
Loka.
The temple is adorned with panels of narrative bas-reliefs telling the story of Hindu epic; Ramayana
and Bhagavata Purana.
On the other side of narrative panels, the temple wall along the gallery were adorned with the statues
and reliefs of devatas and brahmin sages. The figure of lokapala, the celestial guardians of directions
can be found in Shiva temple. In Vishnu temple the figures of a male deities devatas flanked by two
apsaras.
The lower outer wall of these temples were adorned with row of small niche containing image of sinha
(lion) flanked by two panels depicting bountiful kalpataru (kalpavriksha) tree. These wish-fulfilling
sacred trees according to Hindu-Buddhist beliefs
The temple compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia,
and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. [2] Prambanan attracts many visitors from across the world.
Tourists like ramayana Ballet Performance at Prambanan, which presented from 07:30 pm to 09:30
p.m. in four clear nights on and around the full moon. Its is the most spectacular dance performance in
Yogyakarta on the complex of the Prambanan Temple during the only dry season.