Prambanan is
a collection of massive Hindu temples (candi) built by the Mataram
Kingdom, rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty.
A UNESCO
World Heritage Site, in almost any other country a magnificent ancient monument
on the scale of Prambanan would quickly be designated a national symbol. In
Indonesia though it is somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring
nature of nearby Borobudur. The two sites are quite different in style with
Hindu Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jaggedly sculpted towers in
contrast to the vast horizontal bulk of Buddhist Borobudur.
History
A temple was
first built at the site around 850 CE by Rakai Pikatan and expanded extensively
by King Lokapala and Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya king of the Mataram
Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built
to honor Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva)
or Shiva-laya (the Realm of Shiva). According to Shivagrha inscription, a
public water project to change the course of a river near Shivagrha Temple was
conducted during the construction of the temple. It is therefore slightly later
but more or less contemporaneous with Borobudur. In the 10th century the temple
was largely abandoned after the Mataram dynasty moved its court base to East
Java.
Architecture
Most of the main temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century and the huge complex lie largely forgotten in the jungle. Following the Anglo-Dutch Java War, Java was briefly under British administration from 1811 to 1816. In 1811, a surveyor working for Thomas Stamford Raffles came upon the ruins of Prambanan by pure chance. It is somewhat ironic that the very brief British rule of Java led to the re-discovery of both Borobudur and Prambanan. The British and Raffles were not in power in Java long enough to really do much about Prambanan though and looting became rife with Dutch residents adorning their gardens with priceless statues and local people taking foundation stones and using them as construction material. Proper restoration began only in 1930 and still continues today.
Originally
there were 240 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or
been looted leaving just scattered stones. There are three zones:
- The outer zone is a large open space that was
once bounded by a large wall (long gone). The function of this space is
disputed but was probably either a park/relaxation garden or the site of
an ashram for temple priests brahmins.
- The middle zone consists of four rows of 224
identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Most of these are in ruins but
a few have been fully restored. These shrines are called Candi Perwara
(guardian temples). The 224 Pervara temples are arranged in 4 concentric
square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52,
60, and 68. There are several theories about the design and use of these
shrines. Some believe that each of the four rows represent a level of the
Mataram caste system and each was designed to be used by one caste only.
Other theories include that these were designed to recieve submissive
offerings to the king or that they are simply beautifully designed places
for meditation.
- The inner zone contains eight main temples
and likewise, eight small shrines. This is certainly the holiest of the
three zones and is a square elevated platform surrounded by a wall with
gates corresponding to each of the four cardinal points. The three main
inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper and
Shiva the Destroyer. The three main temples are called Trimurti temples.
Right in front of these three mai temples lies three Vahana temples, three
temples in front of Trimurti temples dedicated to the vahana of each gods;
Nandi, Garuda, and Hamsa. The two Apit temples located between the rows of
Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side The 4 Kelir temples
are small shrines located on 4 cardinal directions right beyond the 4 main
gates of inner zone, and four Patok temples, four small shrines located on
four corners of inner zone.