Explore the Beauty of Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple is one of the biggest and grandest temples in Jogja, which is a favorite destination for tourists when visiting Yogyakarta.
The location of the Prambanan Temple is quite unique, the Prambanan temple complex is located in two regencies and two provinces at once. The courtyard of this temple complex is located in the district of Sleman, Yogyakarta, while the main gate is in the district of Klaten, Central Java.
In 1991 together with the Borobudur temple, the Prambanan temple was confirmed by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
There are 240 temples in the temple complex in total. With three main temples known as Shiva temples, Brahma temples and Vishnu temples or also known as Trimurti temples.
Standing firmly on the north side of the Yogyakarta-Solo highway, every driver going to Yogyakarta or Solo can definitely see the splendor of the Prambanan temple. As if it has its own charm, the beauty of the reliefs and the architecture of the building inherits its unique characteristics like other Hindu temples.
History of Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple is one of the biggest Hindu temples and has high architectural value. At first, the construction of this temple was aimed at rivaling the Borobudur temple which is a Buddhist temple. And Sewu Temple which is located quite close to the Prambanan temple complex.
A number of researchers considered that the construction of the temple was related to the return of the Sanjaya dynasty to power. The Sanjaya dynasty is believed to be a follower of Hindu teachings who led the Ancient Mataram Kingdom. The construction of this temple was first carried out around the year 850 AD by Rakai Pikatan. Then it was refined and continued by King Lokapala and King Balitung Maha Sambu.
According to the Siwagrha inscription, in 856 AD, the Prambanan temple was built as a form of respect and glorification of Lord Shiva, who is one of the Trimurti gods. Siwagrha itself in Sanskrit has the meaning 'House of Shiva' or 'The Realm of Shiva'.
On an ongoing basis, the Prambanan temple building was perfected by the successors of the King of Medang Mataram such as King Daksa and Tulodong. The addition of temple buildings was carried out continuously until there were hundreds of temples surrounding the main temple of Trimurti.
At the time of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom, this temple was considered a majestic and sacred place. At that time many religious events such as Hindu rituals or ceremonies were carried out in the temple complex.
The collapse of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom caused the Prambanan temple to be abandoned and abandoned. In 1733 the temple was found by a Dutch citizen named CA Lons. When it was first discovered, the temple building was in an unkempt state for hundreds of years.
This is believed to be the result of natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which destroyed the buildings within the temple complex. In 1918, the restoration of the temple was carried out regularly until now, in order to maintain the preservation of the building which is a heritage of the Hindus.
In addition to the origin story of the construction of the Prambanan temple which is found in the Siwagrha inscription, there is also a legend that is believed by the local community as the story of the founding of the Prambanan temple. The story begins when in Java there are two kingdoms that are side by side, namely the Pengging Kingdom and the Baka Kingdom.
The kingdom of Pengging is a prosperous kingdom, led by Prabu Damar Maya who has a son named Bandung Bondowoso. Meanwhile, the Baka Kingdom is led by Prabu Baka, who is a giant. However, Prabu Baka had a beautiful daughter named Roro Jonggrang.
The prosperity of the Pengging kingdom made Prabu Baka intend to dominate the kingdom, then all of Prabu Baka's soldiers were ordered to attack the Pengging kingdom. War was unavoidable, as a result, many people from the kingdom of Pengging died, starved, and lost their property.
Not wanting the incident to drag on, Prabu Darma Maya ordered his son Bandung Bondowoso to confront Prabu Baka, thanks to his supernatural powers, Bandung Bondowoso managed to kill Prabu Baka. After defeating Prabu Baka, Bandung Bondowoso also turned to attack the Baka Kingdom and finally the Baka Kingdom was successfully controlled by Bandung Bondowoso.
This is where the meeting between Bandung Bondowoso and Roro Jonggrang started. Seeing the beauty of Roro Jonggrang, Bandung Bondowoso was captivated and intended to marry Roro Jonggrang. However, the proposal was rejected by Roro Jonggrang, because he did not want to be married to the person who killed his father.
Although his application was rejected, Bandung Bondowoso did not give up hope to marry Roro Jonggrang. With all the seduction and coercion, finally Roro Jonggrang accepted the proposal but on one condition, namely: he asked to make a thousand temples in just one night.
Bandung Bondowoso asked for help from the jinn to complete the construction of the temple, and Bandung Bondowoso was able to complete 999 temples in a short time. Hearing that the construction of the temple was nearing completion, Roro Jonggrang tried to thwart Bandung Bondowoso's efforts.
Roro Jonggrang then asked the ladies and gentlemen of the village to burn straw and pound rice to represent the early morning. The efforts of Roro Jonggrang succeeded in tricking the genies who helped Bandung Bondowoso, so that they fled in fear, thinking the sun would soon appear.
Bandung Bondowoso, who knew this was a fraudulent act by Roro Jonggrang to thwart his efforts to build a thousand temples, was furious and angry. Bandung Bondowoso with all his anger cursed Roro Jonggrang to be the thousandth temple, to complete the 999 temples that have been completed. The story is also the origin of the Prambanan temple, also known as the Roro Jonggrang temple.
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