Prambanan is a complex of ancient Hindu temples in Central Java, Indonesia .

Understand

Prambanan is a collection of massive Hindu temples (candi) built by the Mataram Kingdom, rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, in almost any other country a magnificent ancient monument on the scale of Prambanan would quickly be designated a national symbol. In Indonesia though it is somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring nature of nearby Borobudur nearby. The two sites are quite different in style with Hindu Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jaggedly sculpted towers in contrast to the vast horizontal bulk of Buddhist Borobudur .

History

There is no formal written record of the construction of Prambanan. It is thought though to have been built around 850 AD by either King Rakai Pikatan of the second Mataram dynasty or Balitung Maha Sambu of the Sanjaya Dynasty. It is therefore slightly later but more or less contemporaneous with Borobudur . In the 10th century the temple was largely abandoned after the Mataram dynasty moved its court base to East Java.

Most of the main temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century and the huge complex lie largely forgotten in the jungle. Following the Anglo-Dutch Java War, Java was briefly under British administration from 1811 to 1816. In 1811, a surveyor working for Thomas Stamford Raffles came upon the ruins of Prambanan by pure chance. It is somewhat ironic that the very brief British rule of Java led to the re-discovery of both Borobudur and Prambanan. The British and Raffles were not in power in Java long enough to really do much about Prambanan though and looting became rife with Dutch residents adorning their gardens with priceless statues and local people taking foundation stones and using them as construction material. Proper restoration began only in 1930 and still continues today.

Architecture

There are 237 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or been looted leaving just scattered stones. There are three zones:

• The outer zone is a large open space that was once bounded by a large wall (long gone). The function of this space is disputed but was probably either a park/relaxation garden or the site of an ashram for temple priests.

• The middle zone consists of four rows of 224 identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Most of these are in ruins but a few have been fully restored. These shrines are called Candi Perwara (guardian temples). There are several theories about the design and use of these shrines. Some believe that each of the four rows represent a level of the Mataram caste system and each was designed to be used by one caste only. Other theories include that these were designed to recieve submissive offerings to the king or that they are simply beautifully designed places for meditation.

• The inner zone contains eight main temples and likewise, eight small shrines. This is certainly the holiest of the three zones and is a square elevated platform surrounded by a wall with gates corresponding to each of the four cardinal points. The three main inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper and Shiva the Destroyer.

Modern Day Prambanan

Prambanan was designated at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and its global profile as a tourist attraction rose markedly in the 1990s. The main Candi Loro Jonggrang is in a large, well-maintained park making this a pleasant and user-friendly place for visitors.

To understand a little of Prambanan and to get around all of the temples, you will need to set aside the best part of a full day. The complex opens early at 6 AM so it is no bad thing to stay the night beforehand and get in before the crowds arrive from 9 AM onwards. This would also allow a leisurely return to Yogyakarta or Solo in the mid-afternoon taking in some of the other archaeological sites on the Prambanan plain. This is a wet part of Java and a visit outside of the November to March period has the best chance of providing a clear, sunny day.

Tourism Information Office

• PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur Prambanan Ratu Boko, Jalan Raya Yogya - Solo Km 16 Prambanan, Yogyakarta 55571, Indonesia, ☎ +62 274 496401 (prambanan@borobudurpark.co.id), The official government park authority for Prambanan

Getting there

The nearest major cities are Yogyakarta, 17 kilometres to the south west and Solo about 40 kilometres to the north east. The main road connecting these two large cities passes right by Prambanan and this makes transport links very straightforward. The nearest actual town to Prambanan is Klaten, about 3 km to the north.

By plane

Yogyakarta airport is well served by domestic flights from Jakarta , Bali, other major domestic destinations and internationally from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It is just ten kilometres from here to Prambanan. A taxi direct from the airport should cost about Rp 40,000 and take about 20 minutes.

Solo airport is much smaller but has several flights each day from Jakarta and is also connected internationally from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur . Prambanan is about 90 minutes by bus from Solo airport.

By bus

There are regular buses from Yogyakarta's Umbulharjo bus station (30 minutes), as well as a wide variety of tour agency-operated minibuses shuttling directly from Yogyakarta's backpacker haunts. Local buses to/from Solo are also easy to find (90 minutes).

TransJogja, Yogyakarta's newest bus service, also serves a direct route to Prambanan. The bus is air-conditioned and comfortable.

Traveling around

Prambanan can be fairly easily covered on foot. If the midday heat is too much, a toy train shuttles around the park for Rp 5,000 a throw.

See

The main site of modern day Prambanan complex is inside a large, landscaped park. The complex is open daily from 6AM to 6PM. Try to get there early to beat the heat. Entry costs Indonesians less than $1, while foreigners are charged a fixed tourist rate of US$13 or US$7 for a registered student. Guides can be hired at the ticket office for about US$5 and as this is a complex monument, a guide is a very good idea.

• Candi Lara (Loro) Jonggrang, or simply Candi Prambanan, is the largest and most-visited of the temples just to the left of the main entrance. While there were 237 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 Siva, dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer, is the largest of the six, rising to a height of 45 meters. There are fine reliefs of the Ramayana 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 (see box).
  • Candi Brahma, to the south, continues the story of the Ramayana and 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.

• Candi Lumbung and Candi Bubrah, two Buddhist temples, are located several hundred meters further north. They lie in ruins and are fenced off.

• Candi Sewu, a large Buddhist temple complex meaning "one thousand temples", is one kilometre 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. Take note of the Borobudor style stupas here. Entrance from the east side only.

• Prambanan Museum. North of Candi Lara Jonggrang is a poorly displayed museum laid out in a series of small houses connected by walkways. Explanations are minimal, but entry is free so you might as well take a look.

• Prambanan Audio Visual, inside the museum grounds, is the park's term for screenings of a bizarre movie entitled "Cosmic Harmony", which seems to spend as much time lambasting the "industrial world" in general (and Jakarta in particular) as explaining the Prambanan site. Still, it makes for a fairly entertaining half-hour break and Rp 2,000 is not too bad a price to pay for the air-con. The film is available in several languages.

Around Prambanan

• Candi Plaosan. This Buddhist temple is about 2 km east of the northern edge of Prambanan park complex and is easily walkable from there. There are two large stuctures - Plaosan Lor (north) and Plaosan Kidul (south). This complex gives a good insight into the close relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism in 9th century Java. Buddhist Plaosan was built during the same reign as Candi Loro Jonggrang. The Hindu king at the time had a Buddhist wife. There are some excellent intact reliefs here although most of the statuary was looted long ago.

• Candi Sambisari. This Hindu temple pre-dates Prambanan by about 30 years and was only discovered as recently as 1966 and is remarkably complete. Some archaeologists speculate that it is part of a yet to be discovered, much larger complex which lies hidden under centuries of volcanic ash and earth on the Prambanan Plain. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta. When you reach the village of Sumbisari, turn north (right) and follow the small road to the end.

• Kraton Ratu Boko, south of Prambanan (take the minor road from Prambanan towards Piyungan and this palace is on your left after about 3 km), is a ruined palace or temple of uncertain origin, located on a hilltop 200 metres above the Prambanan plain (which makes for good pictures if and only if you have a zoom lens). Only some building foundations remain and it's difficult to make any sense of the site. Now incorporated into the Borobudur Park Authority, entry to Ratu Boko is a separately charged US$10.

Things to do

• An open-air theatre inside the park, just west of Candi Prambanan, has ballet performances of the great Hindu epic Ramayana on four nights during the full moon between May and October. This performance, set against the lit back drop of Prambanan, is quite spell-binding. Enquire at travel agents locally or at your hotel for tickets and times.
• The Plot of Ramayana Ballet, Read the plot of the Ramayana.

Eat

There are many good value Indonesian warungs in and around Prambanan. A good tip is to follow the local Indonesian tourists - they always know which has the best food.

• Taman Prambanan Restoran is close to the entrance gate and serves typical Javanese dishes at very competitive prices.

• Restoran Prambanan, just east from the museum. Offers rice with various side dishes from Rp 10,000.

Drink

Drink hawkers are omnipresent. The museum also has a drinks stand and there are benches scattered throughout the park for a quick break.

After a walk around Prambanan in the heat, a glass of fresh local juice or a pitcher of iced Javanese tea goes down very well.

Sleep

There are a few hotels here if you want to spend the night (not such a bad idea if you want to see Prambanan before the crowds arrive and before the heat of the day sets in). However, most visitors day trip from Yogyakarta or Solo.

• Candi View Hotel, Jalan Candi Sewu, Prambanan, ☎ +62 274 7151222 Simple budget hotel on the main entrance road towards the rear of the complex. Rp 160,000.

• Hotel Galuh, Jl Manisrenggo, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia , ☎ +62 274 496855 (office@hotelgaluhprambanan.com), Mid market hotel which is popular with local tour groups. Located just to the north east of the main complex. Has a swimming pool and two tennis courts.

• Poeri Devata Resort Hotel (formely Prambanan Village Hotel), ☎ +62 274 496453 (poeridevata@indo.net.id ). The grandest hotel at Prambanan but a bit over-priced for the standard of accommodation provided. Decent swimming pool, restaurant and they can arrange car and bicycle hire. From US$ 80.

Buy

Hawkers hassle tourists near the entry gate but will generally take the hint after a terima kasih (thank you) or two.

There is a large market just outside the gate selling lots of touristy souvenirs.

Contact

The telephone area code for Prambanan is the same as Solo - 0271

• Ambulance: 118.
• Police: 110.

The nearest police station to Prambanan is 3 km away at Klaten although officials at Prambanan more or less take the role of policemen.

• Borobudur , the largest Buddhist monument in the world, is an hour away by car.
• Yogyakarta is the cultural capital of Central Java.