Like the Hindu temple complexes Prambanan and the Dieng plateau, Borobudur was unknown and neglected for almost a thousand years, covered under thick layers of volcanic ash. From a far Borobudur Temple looks like a huge but ordinary stone construction.
But from nearby we can see that it consists of hundreds of wonderfully detailed statues and sculptures, representing Buddhist teachings mixed with images of Javanese life of a thousand years ago.
PRAMBANAN TEMPLE
Prambanan is a ten-century old Hindu temple. This temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, locally called Candi Loro Jonggrang, which means 'slender virgin.'
From an architectural point of view this beautifully sculptured spire, fifty meters high, indeed resembles a 'slender virgin.' Like the Buddhist stupa in Borobudur Temple, Prambanan was abandoned when the Buddhist and Hindu Javanese inhabitants moved to East Java.
Seventeen kilometers east of Yogyakarta, it is believed to have been built by King Balitung Maha Sambu in the middle of the ninth century. Its parapets are adorned with a bas-reliefs depicting the famous Ramayana story.
The first open-air theater on the southern side of the temple was built in 1960 and the new theater on the western side of the temple in 1988. During full moon evenings in the month from May to October, the Ramayana ballet is performed right here. The temple complex of Prambanan lies among green fields and villages.
It has eight shrines, of which the three main ones are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The main temple of Shiva rises to a height of 130 feet and houses the magnificent statue of Shiva's consort, Durga.
