Prambanan Temple

Prambanan

Prambanan temple is incredibly beautiful building, built in the 10th century during reigns of two kings, Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. This building has a height of 47 meters (5 meters higher than Borobudur temple). The establishment of this temple has fulfilled the desire maker, shows the triumph of Hinduism in Java. This temple is located 17 kilometers from the city of Yogyakarta, in the middle of the area that is now a beautiful park.

Prambanan Main Shrine

The architecture of Prambanan temple follows the typical Hindu architecture traditions based on Vastu Shastra. The temple design incorporated mandala temple plan arrangements and also the typical high towering spires of Hindu temples. Prambanan was originally named Shivagrha and dedicated to god Shiva. 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.

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Prambanan Model

ust like Borobudur, Prambanan also recognize the hierarchy of the temple zones, spanned from the less holy to the holiest realms. Each Hindu and Buddhist concepts has their own terms, but the concept's essentials is identical. Either the compound site plan (horizontally) or the temple structure (vertically) are consists of three zones:

* Bhurloka (in Buddhism: Kāmadhātu), the lowest realm of common mortals; humans, animals also demons. Where humans still binded by their lust, desire and unholly way of life. The outer courtyard and the foot (base) part of each temples is symbolized the realm of bhurloka.

* Bhuvarloka (in Buddhism: Rupadhatu), the middle realm of holy people, rishis, ascetics, and lesser gods. People here began to see the light of truth. The middle courtyard and the body of each temples is symbolized the realm of bhuvarloka.

* Svarloka (in Buddhism: Arupadhatu), the highest and holiest realm of gods, also known as svargaloka. The inner cortyard and the roof of each temples is symbolized the realm of svarloka. The roof of the Prambanan temples is adorned and crowned with ratna (sanskirt: jewel). In ancient Java temple architecture, ratna is Hindu counterpart of Buddhist stupa, and served as the temple's pinnacle.

The Prambanan plain span between southern slopes of Merapi volcano in the north and Sewu mountain range in the south, near the present border Yogyakarta province and Klaten Regency, Central Java. Apart from the Lara Jonggrang complex, Prambanan plain, valley and hills around it is the location of some of the earliest Buddhist temples in Indonesia. Not far to the north are found the ruins of Bubrah temple, Lumbung temple, and Sewu temple. Further east are found Plaosan temple. To the west are found Kalasan temple and Sari temple, further to the west are Sambisari temple. While to the south the Ratu Boko compounds on higher ground. The discoveries of archaeological sites scattered only a few miles away suggested that this area was an important religious, political, and urban center.

North of the Lara Jongrang complex

* Candi Lumbung. Buddhist-style, consisting of one main temple surrounded by 16 smaller ones.
* Candi Bubrah. Buddhist temple still in ruins.
* Candi Sewu. Buddhist temple complex, older than Roro Jonggrang. A main sanctuary surrounded by many smaller temples. Well preserved guardian statues, replicas of which stand in the central courtyard at the Jogja Kraton.
* Candi Morangan. Hindu temple complex buried several meters under volcanic ashes, located northwest from Prambanan.

Candi Plaosan in Prambanan (9th century).

* Candi Plaosan. Buddhist, probably 9th century. Thought to have been built by a Hindu king for his Buddhist queen. Two main temples with reliefs of Boddhisatva and Tara. Also rows of slender stupas.

South of the Lara Jongrang complex

* Ratu Boko. Complex of fortified gates, bathing pools, and elevated walled stone enclosure, all located on top of the hill.
* Candi Sajiwan. Buddhist temple decorated with reliefs concerning education. The base and staircase are decorated with animal fables.
* Candi Banyunibo. A Buddhist temple with unique design of roof.
* Candi Barong. A Hindu temple complex with large stepped stone courtyard. Located on the slope of the hill.
* Candi Ijo. A cluster of Hindu temple located near the top of Ijo hill. The main temple houses a large lingam and yoni.
* Arca Bugisan. Seven Buddha and bodhisattva statues, some collapsed, representing different poses and expressions.

West of the Lara Jongrang complex

* Candi Kalasan. 8th century Buddhist temple built in commemoration of the marriage of a king and his princess bride, ornamented with finely carved reliefs.
* Candi Sari. Once a sanctuary for Buddhist priests. 8th century. Nine stupas at the top with two rooms beneath, each believed to be places for priests to meditate.
* Candi Sambisari. 9th century Hindu temple discovered in 1966, once buried 6.5 metres under volcanic ash. The main temple houses a linga and yoni, and the wall surround it displayed the images of Agastya, Durga, and Ganesha.
* Candi Gebang. A small Hindu temple discovered in 1937 located near the Yogyakarta northern ring-road. The temple display the statue of Ganesha and interesting carving of faces on the roof section.
* Candi Gana. Rich in statues, bas-reliefs and sculpted stones. Frequent representations of children or dwarfs with raised hands. Located in the middle of housing complex. Under restoration since 1997.
* Candi Kedulan. Discovered in 1994 by sand diggers, 4m deep. Square base of main temple visible. Secondary temples not yet fully excavated

Ramayana Dance in Prambanan

You can discover many more things in Prambanan. You can see relief of Wiracarita Ramayana based on oral tradition. If you feel tired of enjoying the relief, you can take a rest in the beautiful garden in the complex. Since 18 September 2006, you can enter zone 1 area of Prambanan temple. The damage caused by the earthquake on 27 May 2006 is being reconstructed. Please come and enjoy Prambanan temple.

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.

YOGYAKARTA

Yogyakarta (often spelled as Jogja) is officially one of Indonesia's 34 provinces and Yogyakarta is the premier tour destination of Java Island. Yogyakarta is one of tehe foremost cultural centers of Java and has the best inherited of tradition.

Yogyakarta was the center of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom which was prosperous and had high civilization. The Kingdom built Borobudur Temple which was the biggest Buddhist temple in the word. The other archaeological heritages are Prambanan Temple, Ratu Boko Palace, and tens of temples spread out in Yogyakarta.

This province is one of the most densely populated areas of Indonesia. The city came into being in 1755, after the Mataram division into the Sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo). Gamelan, classical and contemporary Javanese dances, wayang kulit (leather puppet), theater and other expressions of traditional art will keep the visitor spellbound. Local craftsmen excel in arts such batiks, silver and leather works. Next to the traditional, contemporary art has found fertile soil in Yogya's culture oriented society. ASRI, the Academy of Fine Arts is the center of arts and Yogyakarta itself has given its name to an important school of modern painting in Indonesia, perhaps best personified by the famed Indonesian impressionist, the late Affandi.

Kraton Jogja

Yogyakarta at the present time is a place where traditions and modern dynamics can walk side by side. In Yogyakarta, there is a Kraton (palace) with hundreds of royal servants who hold the traditions faithfully, but there is also Gadjah Mada University which is one of the reputable universities in Southeast Asia. Most of the citizens of Yogyakarta live in a strong agricultural tradition, but there are also many college students that live in a modern lifestyle. There is a traditional market in Yogyakarta which stand side by side with modern mall.

At the north end of Yogyakarta, you will see the Mount Merapi stands as high as 9738 feet above sea level. This mountain is one of the most active volcano in Indonesia. The impressions of it's eruption in 2006 can be witnessed in the village of Kaliadem, 30 km from the city of Jogja. The Mooi Indie scenery of green paddy field and Mount Merapi as the background can still be seen on the outskirts of the Jogja City (see Nature & Outdoors).

In the southern part of Yogyakarta, you will find many beaches. The most famous beach is Parangtritis with the legend of Nyi Roro Kidul (Queen of the South), but Yogyakarta also has beautiful natural beaches in Gunung Kidul. You can see Sadeng Beach which was the ancient mouth of the Bengawan Solo River before a powerful tectonic force lifted the surface of the southern part of Java so that the flow of the river turned to the north like today. You can also visit Siung Beach which has 250 points of rock climbing, Sundak Beach, etc (see Beaches).

Transportation

Yogyakarta Map

Yogyakarta is served by Adisucipto International Airport which connects the city with some other major cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Makassar, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, and Pontianak. It also connects the city with Singapore (operated by Garuda Indonesia) and Kuala Lumpur (operated by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines).

The city is located on one of the two major railway lines across Java between Jakarta / Bandung and Surabaya. It has two passenger railway stations, Tugu Railway Station serves business and executive class trains while Lempuyangan Station serves economy class trains. Both stations are located in downtown Yogyakarta city.

Andong

The city has an extensive system of public city buses, and is a major destination for inter-city buses to elsewhere on Java or Bali, as well as taxis, andongs, and becaks. Motorbikes are by far the most commonly used personal transportation, but an increasing number of residents own automobiles.

Starting from early 2008, the city has operated a bus rapid transit system called Trans Jogja. This system is modeled after TransJakarta. But unlike Trans Jakarta, there is no particular lane for Trans Jogja buses, they run on main streets. Currently there are six lines of Trans Jogja service, with routes throughout main streets of Yogyakarta, which some overlap one another. The lines extend from Jombor bus station in the north as far as Giwangan main bus terminal in the south and Prambanan bus shelter in the east via Adisucipto International Airport. Trans Jogja has now become a new trademark of Yogyakarta and frequently used by local citizens and tourists alike.

Borobudur

Borobudur

In Indonesian, ancient temples are known as candi; thus "Borobudur Temple" is locally known as Candi Borobudur. Borobudur is located Approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) northwest of Yogyakarta in an elevated area between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. According to local myth, the area known as Kedu Plain is a Javanese 'sacred' place and has been dubbed 'the garden of Java' due to its high agricultural fertility. Besides Borobudur, there are other Buddhist and Hindu temples in the area, including the Prambanan temples compound.

Location of Borobudur–Pawon–Mendut in one straight line

During the restoration in the early 1900s, it was discovered that three Buddhist temples in the region, Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut, are lined in one straight line position.[14] It might be accidental, but the temples' alignment is in conjunction with a native folk tale that a long time ago, there was a brick-paved road from Borobudur to Mendut with walls on both sides. The three temples (Borobudur–Pawon–Mendut) have similar architecture and ornamentation derived from the same time period, which suggests that ritual relationship between the three temples, in order to have formed a sacred unity, must have existed, although exact ritual process is yet unknown.

Following the major 1973 renovation funded by UNESCO, Borobudur is once again used as a place of worship and pilgrimage. Once a year, during the full moon in May or June, Buddhists in Indonesia observe Vesak (Indonesian: Waisak) day commemorating the birth, death, and the time when Siddhārtha Gautama attained the highest wisdom to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. Vesak is an official national holiday in Indonesia and the ceremony is centered at the three Buddhist temples by walking from Mendut to Pawon and ending at Borobudur.

The monument is the single most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia. In 1974, 260,000 tourists of whom 36,000 were foreigners visited the monument.The figure hiked into 2.5 million visitors annually (80% were domestic tourists) in the mid 1990s, before the country's economy crisis. Tourism development, however, has been criticized for not including the local community on which occasional local conflict has arisen. In 2003, residents and small businesses around Borobudur organized several meetings and poetry protests, objecting to a provincial government plan to build a three-story mall complex, dubbed the 'Java World.

On 28 August 2006 the Trail of Civilizations symposium was held in Borobudur under the auspices of the governor of Central Java and the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, also present the representatives from UNESCO and predominantly Buddhist nations of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Climax of the event was the "Mahakarya Borobudur" ballet performance in front of the temple of Borobudur. It was choreographed to feature traditional Javanese dancing, music and costumes, and tell the history about the construction of the Borobudur. After the symposium, the Mahakarya Borobudur ballet is performed several times, especially during annual national Waisak commemoration at Borobudur attended by Indonesian President.

UNESCO identified three specific areas of concern under the present state of conservation: (i) vandalism by visitors; (ii) soil erosion in the south-eastern part of the site; (iii) analysis and restoration of missing elements. The soft soil, the numerous earthquakes and heavy rains lead to the destabilization of the structure. Earthquakes are by far the most contributing factors, since not only stones fall down and arches crumble, but the earth itself moves can move in waves, further destroying the structure. The increasing popularity of the stupa brings in many visitors, most of whom are from Indonesia. Despite warning signs on all levels not to touch anything, the regular transmission of warnings over loudspeakers and the presence of guards, vandalism on reliefs and statues is a common occurrence and problem, leading to further deterioration. As of 2009, there is no system in place to limit the number of visitors allowed per day, or to introduce mandatory guided tours only.

Borobudur Ground Plan 

Parts of the Borobudur Temple:
1. Kamadhatu is part of the temple at the bottom and here there were reliefs taken from Karmawibhangga story. Kamadhatu symbolizes that human beings are still bound by lust and passion.
2.  Rupadhatu is the center of the temple, and here there are reliefs taken from the story Jatakamala, Laitawistara, and Gandawyuka, Rankings symbolizes that human beings are still bound by the appearance and shape.
3. Arupadhatu is part of the temple at the top and here there were only statues of Buddha in alcove. It represents a level that humans be free from karma and prepared to enter nirvana.