THINGS TO SEE

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

PRAMBANAN TEMPLE

Prambanan Temple (15 kilometers east of Yogyakarta) is the largest and most beautiful Hindu temple in Indonesia.. Named after the village where it is located, it was built in the 9th century 50 years after Borubudur and is known locally as the Temple of the Slender Virgin (Roro Jonggrang).Prambanan contains many lavish decorations and sexually-suggestive sculptures, scenes from the Ramayan and motifs that mix Hindu and Buddhist symbols. It has eight shrines which lie among green fields and villages. Architecturally, it is sort of like Angkor Wat with a central artichoke-shaped stupa surrounded by four smaller ones.

The three main temples are dedicated to Hindu gods Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The biggest temple is dedicated to Shiva —the destroyer, and the two smaller ones which flank it on the east and west are dedicated to Brahma — the creator and Vishnu — the sustainer. 

The tallest temple of Prambanan—the main Shiva temple—is a staggering 47 meters (130 feet) high. Its peak is visible from far away and rises high above the ruins of the other temples.The temple across from the Shiva temple contains a fine image of a Nadi bull and the Lingga Batara Siwa stone, a symbol of fertility. 

The main temple of Shiva houses the magnificent statue of a four-armed Shiva, standing on Buddhist-style lotus blossoms. In the northern cell is a fine image of Durga, Shiva’s consort. Some believe the Durga image is actually that of the Slender Virgin, who according to legend was turned to stone by a giant she refused to marry. The outsides are adorned with bas-reliefs depicting the Ramayana story.

Prambadan is surrounded by the ruins of 240 small “guard “ temples. Altogether there are 400 temples in the Prambadan area. Most are within five kilometers of Prambanan village and are generally not visited except by archeology nuts. But that is not to say they are not without merit. 

A good way to explore them is to rent a bicycle. The proximity of Prambanan and Buddhist Borobudur temple tells us that on Java, Buddhism and Hinduism lived peacefully next to one another.

From May to October at full moon, the classic Javanese Ramayana ballet or dance drama is performed by more than 250 dancers in an outdoor open stage with as its backdrop the full moon dramatically rising over the temples. The epic Ramayana tells the story of Prince Rama and his wife Sita who are wandering in the forest. When Rama sees a golden deer he chases it, but not before drawing a circle around Sita. He tells her not to step out of the circle to stay safe. 

The king of ogres Rahwana lures Sita out of the circle, abducts her and carries her to his kingdom, Alengka. The grief stricken Rama is assisted by the monkey king, Hanuman. who finds Sita in Rahwana’s palace. He burns Alengka and Sita is saved and restored to her husband.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking