Temples of Java -Indonesia

Borobudur Temple

Indonesian temples are called Candi so its correct title is Candi Borobudur. It is a ninth century Buddhist Mahayana temple consisting of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome is located at the center of the top platform, surrounded by seventy-two Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupas.

The monument is a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place of pilgrimage although unlike Buddhist temples in Thailand it does not have any priests. It was abandoned towards the end of the fourteenth century AD when the Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms of Java began to decline as the populace converted to Islam.

The temple was rediscovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Raffles who was the founder of Singapore. It was restored with UNESCO's help in the 1970s.

Borobudur temple Video

Prambanan Temple

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and is located east of Yogyakarta. It was built in the 10th century either by Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya dynasty.

Prambanan is in fact a group of eight temples surrounded by 224 small shrines. The largest temple is 130 feet high and is dedicated to Shiva. The smaller temples are dedicated to Brahma and Visnhu with the others dedicated to the animals who serve them. They are all decorated with marvellous bas-reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayan.

Video of Prambanan

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