Prambanan and Borobodur Temples

There are two interesting sites near Yogyakarta that you should know about.  I may or not may make it to them this visit, but I have been to both many times.  They are Prambanan and Yogyakarta.

            The Prambanan temple complex is about 20 km east of Yogyakarta in Central Java.  It was completed in the mid-ninth century by the Hindu King Pikatan of the Sanjaya dynasty.   It incorporates both Hindu and Buddhist elements, which legend attributes to the marriage of  King Pikatan to a  Buddhist woman.  

One indicator of Buddhist influence is the shape of the temples.  Instead of the common Hindu pattern, these structures are topped with a diamond shape which closely resembles a stupa, or a reliquary for images or remains of the Buddha. At the center of the complex are three temples dedicated to Shiva, Visnu, and Brahma, the holy trinity of Hinduism.  The center temple is the largest and is dedicated to Shiva.  However, it also houses chambers with statues of  Durga, the destroyer goddess, Agastya, the protector of Rama, and Ganesha, the elephant-headed god.  The central candi are decorated with bas-relief scenes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.  The complex was abandoned shortly after it was build and not rediscovered until 1733.  In 1885, the site was cleared of jungle vegetation.  Reconstruction was started in 1918 and continues today. 

            

Borobodur, also near Yogyakarta, was built around 750 CE by the Sailendra dynasty.  Originally 42 m (138 feet) tall, the stupa now stands at 31.5 m (108 feet) tall and is 123 m wide, making it the third largest Buddhist monuments in the world.  There are three layers to the temple, which the pilgrim (a person who visit a place with a religious purpose) walks around in a counter clockwise direction.  These are the Sphere of Desire, the Sphere of Form, and Sphere of Formlessness.  Each layer is decorated with bas-relief depictions of scenes from the prior lives of the Buddha.  As the pilgrims move through temple, they are reminded of the stages through which one must progress on their search for Nirvana.  

The top section comprises of three circular terraces ringed by stupas containing seated Buddha images.  At the top and center is the main stupa, which rises 23 feet from its base.  Like Prambanan, it was abandoned and later rediscovered by Europeans.  Starting in 1814, the jungle growth was cleared.  Easier access to the site lead to vandalism and looting.  Dutch efforts to repair the temple, starting in 1907, were doomed because the foundation was too weak.  One effort tried to use cement to strengthen the construction.  The extra weight of the cement made the structure sag.   In 1973, a UNESCO support project employing 700 workers for 10 years strengthened the foundation and restored and rebuild the temple.

 

 

For a basic introduction to the Prambanan temples, see “The Prambanan Temples” on Travelling in Indonesia http://www.emp.pdx.edu/htliono/pramban.html, accessed 4-22-04

 

Perhaps the best review of the Borobodur site is the information compiled by the World Heritage Foundation to establish it as a World Heritage Site in  "World Heritage Review: The Borobodur Complex" (2003) http://www.worldheritagereview.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/44/The_Borobodur_Compound.html, accessed 2/9/04.

 Also, here is an interesting video about Borobodur.  Borobodur, The Lost Temple of Java part 1 of 2