More about Prambanan Temple
Structure
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The high structures are typical of Hindu architecture, and the plan of the temple complex is a Mandala, as is Borobudur.As a symbol of the Hindu cosmos, the temple or candi is vertically into three parts, both vertically and in plan.Bhurloka: The base of the temples, as well as the outer square is the underworld. A place for ordinary folk, mortals, both human and animal. The place where lust and desire are commonplace. This is an unholy area.
Bhuvarloka: The central body of the temples and the middle square of the complex, represents the ‘middle world’ the place for those who have left their worldly possessions. This is where people begin to see the light of truth.
Svarloka: The top of the temples, and the innermost square represents the realm of the gods, the holiest zone, and is crowned.
During the restoration of the Siva temple a well of over 5 metres depth was found, which contained a stone casket.
Worshiping ancestors
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It is understood that when a king or prominent person died, the ashes of the deceased along with various objects representing physical and spiritual symbols of the cosmos, were placed in a stone casket. This casket was placed in a shaft in the base of a temple, above it was built a statue of a god, of whom the deceased was said to be an incarnation. This statue then becomes the object of worship for those honouring and worshipping the king. Ancestor worship has been an Indonesian cultural tradition since prehistoric times, and it has been adapted into the local adaptions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Some archaeologists suggest that the idol of Shiva in the central chamber of the Prambanan’s main temple is modelled after King Balitung, of the Mataram Kingdom. One of the possible instigators of the temple building.
The casket found in the well of the Siva temple at Prambanan was sitting on a pile of charcoal, earth and animal bones. It contained a variety of objects, including, coins, jewels, precious metals and ashes. Gold sheets with inscriptions of Varuna, the god of the sea, and Parvata, the god of the mountains were also found.
Built over time
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The temple complex was most likely built in stages. Estimated to have been commenced during the late 9th and early 10th Century, by either Rakai Pikatan or Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya king of the Mataram Kingdom. It is suggested that it was built as a Hindu response to the Buddhist Borobudur, which was built by the concurrent Saliendra dynasty.
The temple complex was expanded in stages by successive Mataram kings, with the addition of the hundreds of ‘perwara’ temples around the central temples. Prambanan was used by the Mataram royal family for its religious ceremonies and sacrifices.
Just like Borobudur, when power moved to western Java around 930AD the Prambanan temples were left abandoned and suffered the ravages of earthquakes and nature before being rediscovered. A large earthquake in the 16th Century led to a further collapse of the temples.
Dutchman CA Lons wrote a report on the state of the temple in 1733, with a great deal of the temple being under ground and covered with plants.The British also surveyed the ruins after Collin Mackenzie under Sir Stamford Raffles came across the temple ruins by chance in 1811. Restoration works commenced in 1830, the main Siva temple was completed in 1953, and works continue to this day. An earthquake in 1996 did cause further damage to Prambanan and many other temples in the area. The local Hindus, often of Balinese heritage, have revived Prambanan as a religious venue, performing their ceremonies and rituals here.
Close by and within the archeological park, are the lesser known Sewu, Bubrah, and Lumbung Temples, all Buddhist, demonstrating the religious harmony experienced in Indonesia throughout the ages.
Within Prambanan Compounds
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The Prambanan Temple Compounds are greater than the Loro Djonggrang complex alone, with a series of significant Buddhist temples close by.
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Within the Prambanan Park, 800 metres north of the Hindu Prambanan temples is the Candi Sewu Complex and is the second largest Buddhist temple in Java, Borobudur bring the largest.
The name Candi Sewu means 1000 temples, which links it to the legend of Loro Djonggrang. In fact this complex has 253 building structures.
Candi Sewu predates the Prambanan Hindu temple complex (often referred to as the Loro Djonggrang complex), it was most likely originally built in the 8th Century by Rakai Panangkaran, of the Mataram Dynasty, and then expanded by Rakai Pikatan, a prince of the Sanjaya Dynasty who married a Buddhist princess from the Saliendra Dynasty. The Saliendras built Borobudur.
The proximity of the Candi Sewu complex to the Hindu complex suggests that the two religions co-existed harmoniously. The Candi Sewu temple complex was most likely used for royal ceremonies and rituals.The rectangular grounds measure 185m by 165m, placed in the traditional mandala pattern around a central temple.
Additionally four ‘vanguard’ temples were placed in the compass positions at around 300m from the central rectangle. One of these remains, and is called Candi Bubrah, and is located between Prambanan’s Hindu complex and Candi Sewu. Bubrah means broken, as it has been in a state of ruins for many years.
Candi Lumbung
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Candi Lumbung is a Buddhist temple built around 850AD by the Mataram Dynasty, which consists of a single central temple surrounded by 16 smaller temples. The temples house niches and altars for carved imagery. In all, the temple complex was built to house over 120 images. Female deities grace the exterior of the central temple.
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