When you visiting Indonesia, you have to visit a little city in east Java. Prambanan is the ruins of a Hindu temple complex located 17 km east of Yogyakarta, along the Yogya-Solo highway. As it is sitting on a volcanic plain, the Prambanan complex is actually vulnerable to earthquakes as well as volcanic eruptions.

Prambanan was completed around 856 AD, to commemorate the victory of Rakai Pikatan, of the Sanjaya Dynasty, over Balaputra, the ruler of the Sailendra Dynasty. (The Sailendra Dynasty is the one attributed for the construction of Borobudur, so the two monuments were built no more than a century apart – however Borobudur is a Buddhist monument while Prambanan is Hindu.) Balaputra fled to Sumatera, where he became the ruler of the Srivijaya Empire (the same empire that eventually produced Parameswara, the Sumatran prince who established Malacca.

Like Borobudur, Prambanan was deserted within a few years of its completion. Archaeological speculation attributed the eruption of Gunung Merapi in 1006AD as the likely reason for the civilization to come to such an abrupt halt. The eruption covered the region with such a heavy blanket of volcanic ash that it buried the monuments and caused widespread famine, compelling the population to move elsewhere.

The Prambanan complex consists of eight main buildings. These are Hindu sphere-shaped shrines called candi. The three largest ones are arranged from north to south, and face the east. The biggest and most magnificent is the middle candi, which rises to a height of 47 m (155ft). This is Candi Siva Mahadeva, dedicated to the Hindu deity Siva. Flanking it are slightly smaller shrines, Candi Vishnu to the north and Candi Brahma to the south.

To the east of these three shrines, and facing them, are three smaller shrines. These are the temples of the celestial vehicles of the three aforementioned deities – nandi, the bull, for Siva; hamsa, the goose, for Brahma; and garuda, the sunbird, for Vishnu. In addition, there are two court temples which are located by the northern and southern gates.

Due to its east-facing orientation, Prambanan is best viewed on the morning part of the day, so that the rising sun can illuminate the front portion of the main temples.

The largest shrine of the complex, the Candi Siva Mahadeva, is also known as Loro Jonggrang, a folk name that is often used to denote the entire temple complex. (That’s because the name Prambanan refers also to the town in which the complex is located.) The name Loro Jonggrang means “slender maiden”, and it is derived from a local legend which is “superimposed” on the ruins.

Story of Loro Jonggrang

Once upon a time in Java Island, especially in Prambanan, there were two Hindu kingdoms, Pengging and Kraton Boko. Pengging Kingdom was a prosperous and welfare kingdom that was lead by a wise king named Prabu Damar Moyo who had a son named Raden Bandung Bondowoso.

Kraton Boko is a part of Pengging Kingdom jurisdiction who was lead by a cruel and fully anger king that is not a man but a giant who was a man eater, named Prabu Boko. However, Prabu Boko had a very beautiful daughter named Princess Loro Jonggrang. Prabu Boko also had a minister named Patih Gupalo and he was a giant too. Prabu Boko had a desire to revolt and has control over Pengging Kingdom. Therefore, together with Patih Gupalo, they gathered the power by training men to become soldiers and collect goods from civil people as provisions.

After they had enough with all preparation, Prabu Boko and all soldiers went to Pengging Kingdom to revolt. Then the war between Pengging and Boko Soldier happened in Pengging kingdom. A lot of soldiers died from both side. People of Pengging became suffer, hunger and poor. Knew that his people were suffering and there were lots of soldiers died, Prabu Damar Moyo sent his son, Raden Bandung Bondowoso to have a battle with Prabu Boko. The fighting between Raden Bandung Bondowoso and Prabu Boko was very furious. Because of the power of Raden Bandung Bondowoso, Prabu Boko can be defeated and died. When Patih Gupalo found out that his king has died, he ran away from the battle.
Raden Bandung Bondowoso chased him to Kraton Boko.When Patih Gupalo arrived at Kraton Boko, he reported about Prabu Boko to Princess Loro Jonggrang, that he was killed in the battle by a Pengging knight named Raden Bandung Bondowoso. Then the princess cried she was very sad because of the death of her father. Raden Bandung Bondowoso finally arrived at Kraton Boko. He was surprised when he saw Princess Loro Jonggrang that she was very beautiful, so he could not help himself to not propose her to become his wife.

However, Princess Loro Jonggrang did not want to marry Raden Bandung Bondowoso because he just killed her father. To refuse his propose Princess Loro Jonggrang had a strategy. She had 2 requests should be fulfilled by Raden Bandung Bondowoso, and then she would agree to marry him. The first request was that she asked him to make a well named Jalatunda. The second one was to make 1000 temples in one night. Raden Bandung Bondowoso accepted both requests. Immediately he started to make Jalatunda Well and he asked Princess Loro Jonggrang to see it when it finished.

Then, Princess Loro Jonggrang asked Raden Bandung Bondowoso to go into the well, and after that she ordered Patih Gupolo to pile up the well with stone. Both Princess Loro Jonggrang and Patih Gupolo thought that Raden Bandung Bondowoso had already died in the well; however Raden Bandung Bondowoso was still alive. He meditated and finally he could got out from the well safely. Raden Bandung Bondowoso was very angry with her action and he looked after her but because of her beauty, his anger became calm down.

After that, Princess Loro Jonggrang was asking Raden Bandung Bondowoso to do the second request which was to make 1000 temples in one night. Therefore Raden Bandung Bondowoso commanded genie to make the temples immediately. However Princess Loro Jonggrang intended to foil his effort to make the temples. She ordered the girls to pound and burn stubbles, so that it looked like the bright of sunrise which mean the morning had come and the light plus the noise made the cocks crowed loudly. Heard the cock crowd and people pounded rice and also saw the brightness in the east, therefore the genies were stop making temples.

The genies reported it to Raden Bandung Bondowoso that they could not continue built the temple because morning had come. Raden Bandung Bondowoso got the feeling that the morning had not come yet. He asked Princess Loro Jonggrang to count the amount of the temples and she came out that the total was only 999 temples; there was still 1 temple left. Therefore Princess Loro Jonggrang refused to marry Raden Bandung Bondowoso. Raden Bandung Bondowoso felt deceived then he became very angry and he cursed her “Loro Jonggrang, there is only 1 temple left, let you be the one to make it complete”. It was a miracle, suddenly Princess Loro Jonggrang transformed to a stone statue. Raden Bandung Bondowoso also cursed the girls who lived around Prambanan that there would be no man wants to marry those girls because they helped Princess Loro Jonggrang.

Until today, the stone statue of Princess Loro Jonggrang is still in Candi Prambanan. Based on what is believed by old people, the couple who are dating in Prambanan temple will be broke up.

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