As the largest Hindu
temple in Southeast Asia, the beautiful and graceful temple of Prambanan is a
magnificent spectacle and an icon of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.
Located not far from the Buddhist Borobudur temple, the proximity of the two temples tells us that on Java, Buddhism and Hinduism lived peacefully next to one another.
Located not far from the Buddhist Borobudur temple, the proximity of the two temples tells us that on Java, Buddhism and Hinduism lived peacefully next to one another.
Prambanan temple is extraordinarily beautiful building
constructed in the tenth century during the reigns of two kings namely Rakai
Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. Soaring up to 47 meters (5 meters higher thanBorobudur temple), the foundation of this temple
has fulfilled the desire of the founder to show the Hindu triumph in Java
Island. This temple is located 17 kilometers from the city center, among an
area that now functions as beautiful park.
There is a legend that Javanese people always tell about this
temple. As the story tells, there was a man named Bandung Bondowoso who loved
Roro Jonggrang. To refuse his love, Jonggrang asked Bondowoso to make her a
temple with 1,000 statues only in one-night time. The request was nearly
fulfilled when Jonggrang asked the villagers to pound rice and to set a fire in
order to look like morning had broken. Failing to be cheated, Bondowoso who
only completed 999 statues cursed Jonggrang to be the thousandth statue.
Prambanan temple has three main temples in the primary yard, namely Vishnu,
Brahma, and Shiva temples. Those three temples are symbols ofTrimurti in Hindu belief. All of them face to
the east. Each main temple has accompanying temple facing to the west, namely
Nandini for Shiva, Angsa for Brahma, and Garuda for Vishnu. Besides, there are
2 flank temples, 4 Keller temples and 4
corner temples. In the second area, there are 224 temples.
The entering Shiva temple, the highest
temple and is located in the middle, you will find four rooms. One main room
contains a Shiva statue, while the other
three rooms contain the statues of Durga (Shiva's wife), Agastya (Shiva's
teacher), and Ganesha (Shiva's son). Durga statue is said to be the statue of
Roro Jonggrang in the above legend.
In Vishnu temple, to the north of Shiva
temple, you will find only one room with a Vishnu statue in it. In Brahma temple, to the south of Shiva temple, you
find only room as well with a Brahma statue
in it.
Quite attractive accompanying temple is
Garuda temple that is located close to Vishnu temple. This temple keeps a story
of half-bird human being named Garuda. Garuda is a mystical bird in Hindu
mythology. The figure is of golden body, white face, red wings, with the beak
and wings similar to eagle's. It is assumed that the figure is a
Hindu adaptation of Bennu (means 'rises' or 'shines') that is
associated with the god of the Sun or Re in Old Egypt mythology or Phoenix in
Old Greek mythology. Garuda succeeded in saving his mother from the curse of
Aruna (Garuda's handicapped brother) by stealing Tirta Amerta (the sacred water of the gods).
Its ability to save her mother made many
people admire it to the present time and it is used for various purposes.
Indonesia uses the bird as the symbol of the country. Other
countries using the same symbol is Thailand, with the same
reason but
Prambanan also has panels of relief
describing the story of Ramayana. Experts say that the relief is similar to the
story of Ramayana that is told orally from generation to generation. Another
interesting relief is Kalpataru tree that - in Hindu - the tree is considered a
tree of life, eternity and environment harmony. In
Prambanan, relief of Kalpataru tree is described as flanking a lion. The
presence of this tree makes experts consider that Javanese society in the ninth
century had wisdom to manage its environment.
Just like Garuda, Kalpataru tree is also
used for various purposes. In Indonesia, Kalpataru is used as the logo of
Indonesian Environment Institution. Some intellectuals in Bali even develop
"Tri Hita Karana" concept for environment conservation by seeing
Kalpataru relief in this temple. This tree of life is also seen in the gunungan
(the puppet used as an opening of traditional puppet show or wayang kulit). This proves that
relief panels in Prambanan have been widely known throughout the world.
If you see the relief in detail, you
will see many birds on them; they are real birds as we can see on the earth
right now. Relief panels of such birds are so natural that biologists can
identify their genus. One of them is the relief of the Yellow-Crest Parrot (Cacatua
sulphurea) that cites unanswered question. The reason is that the bird only
exists in Masakambing Island, an island in the middle of Java Sea. Then, did
the bird exist in Yogyakarta? No body has succeeded in revealing the mystery.
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.
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