UNESCO SITE: PRAMBANAN TEMPLE COMPLEX
Route 1A of the Trans Jogja
Bus (0.09USD) was our gateway to the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and
one of the biggest in Southeast Asia.
Appearing a speck while
seated in one corner surrounded by a multitude of towering temples inside the
vast compound, we were finally at Prambanan Temple complex, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in Central Java, Indonesia.
The Prambanan complex is
open daily from 6AM to 6PM. There is a
separate entry point for foreigners and for locals, and that admission fee for
locals costs less. From the terminal of Trans Jogja
bus we have to walk to reach the entrance of the complex and it was midday,
thus the sweltering heat. Fortunately,
the ticket booth for foreigners is air-conditioned and provides free water, tea
and coffee. Admission rate for
foreigners is approximately IDR225,000 (16.88USD) or IDR100,000 (7.5USD) for
students.
A large well-landscaped park
houses the Prambanan temple. Though
there are guides available that comes with an additional fee, we opted to
wander by ourselves and do the necessary research afterwards.
As we pass by sets of
garden, the massive Hindu temples then came into view. Stones were scattered as well, remnants of
the old temple complex. It is said that
there were once 240 temples that stood in the complex. Today, all of 8 main temples and 8 small
shrines in inner zone are reconstructed, but only 2 out of the 224 pervara
temples are renovated. Majority have deteriorated
and some are the scattered stones that we see.
There were students having
educational trips when we visited the temple complex. By the art of eavesdropping from the lectures
of their tour guide, I had a few insights of the temple’s history
without any cost. There are even times
that I nod with acknowledgement and the tour guide will look at my direction
while I dodge glances and immediately took photos of whatever.
The Prambanan temple or Candi Rara Jonggrang is a 9th century Hindu temple dedicated to the Trimutri, the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them.
In an inevitable attempt to
breathe and feel the fresh air, I sat on one of the benches under the shade of the
lone tree at an elevation of the temple complex housing the main three temples. From a distance, the panels of narrative bas-reliefs
adorning these religious structures were visible. I obliged to come closer and scrutinize. It
conveys something. A story perhaps.
As per a guide informing the
students on tour, the bas-reliefs convey the story of Hindu epics Ramayana and
Bhagavata Purana. It was truly intricately-made
and inspiring how their culture and the arts is preserved in this UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
The Prambanan Temple Complex
encompassing high towering spires of Hindu temples is vast that a whole day may
be allotted to substantially cover the area but for us, it only took hours to
conclude that the site is worthy of its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, thus the need to be preserved for the appreciation of the generations to
come.
1 comments
We are not really fond of temples, but that place sure looks amazing! Look at that intricate architecture!
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