Prambanan Temple and The Facts of Tragic Story Behind It
The tropical land of Indonesia has kept a long history of human civilization for thousands of years. The various ancient artifacts and monuments that have been discovered are a means to connect modern humans with their ancestors in the past. One of the extraordinary monuments built by ancient people in the past is Prambanan Temple.
Located in Prambanan Sub-district, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta City, Prambanan temple is one of the very precious of historical evidences. This temple was first built by Rakai Pikatan, a king of the Ancient Mataram kingdom as a place to honor Lord Shiva. This historical building was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
A Marvelous Monument Complex
The name "Prambanan" is taken from the name of the village where the site stands. However, the original name of the site comes from the Sanskrit "Siwargha" which means "House of Shiva". Given that this temple was made as a tribute to Lord Shiva who is considered the main god. In addition, there is a statue of Lord Shiva with a height of 3 m located in the main room of the building.
The written historical source about this site comes from a Siwargha stone inscription dated 856 AD. Meanwhile, the construction of this temple began in 850 AD or in the 9th century AD. The location of Prambanan Temple is rectangular and divided into 4 parts. They are the outer courtyard, outer court, middle court, and inner court. The total area of the three courtyards (excluding the outer courtyard) reaches 722 m2.
The number of temples in this site complex reaches hundreds, ranging from the smallest to the largest. So, it is not surprising that this site is also called "Candi Sewu" or "A Thousand Temples". In addition, there is also another name, namely "Candi Roro Jonggrang" which is taken from the name of a woman with a tragic story behind this magnificent building.
As a religion that adheres to the concept of Polytheism with the teaching of "Trimurti", the three largest temple buildings are dedicated to the three gods worshiped by Hindus. The temple for Lord Brahma is in the south, the temple for Lord Shiva in the center, and the northern part for Lord Vishnu. However, the ancient Mataram kingdom was a Shiva Hindu. So, Shiva was prioritized.
Between History and Legend
Although the historical record of Prambanan Temple has been written on the Siwargha stone inscription, the aspect of history in Indonesia cannot be separated from various legends and myths. Oral stories about events in the past have been passed down from generation to generation. There is a folklore behind this magnificent temple.
The story began with a crown prince of the Pengging kingdom named Bandung Bondowoso who was involved in a war with the Baka kingdom. The war was won by the Pengging Kingdom after Bandung managed to kill King Baka. After the victory, Bandung entered the palace of Baka and met King Baka’s daughter. Roro Jonggrang, the name of the beautiful princess.
Bandung Bondowoso fell in love with Roro Jonggrang’s beautiful face and proposed to her. However, Roro Jonggrang didn’t want to marry the man who had killed her father and conquered her kingdom. So, to subtly refuse, Roro Jonggrang proposed a condition that seemed impossible to fulfill.
Guess what she required? Roro Jonggrang asked Bandung to build a thousand temples in one night. As a powerful man, Bandung agreed to the request. He summoned an army of genies and ordered them to complete the construction before sunrise.
Meanwhile, Roro Jonggrang, who was overseeing the construction, began to worry. Although the time had just reached midnight, Bandung and his army of genies had almost succeeded in completing a thousand temples. Then Roro Jonggrang ordered the servants to get up and pound the mortar (a traditional mashing tool made of wood). Some of them burned haystacks to create the impression that the sun had risen. Although the night was still going on and it was still far from dawn.
Hearing the noise, the roosters started crowing, causing the genies troops to flee thinking that dawn had come. In fact, they had finished building 999 temples. However, Bandung recognized Roro Jonggrang’s trickery and came to her in anger. Finally, with his magic, he cursed Roro Jonggrang into stone to complete the thousandth temple.
Roro Jonggrang Statue Facts
Based on recent research, the statue of a woman who is thought to be Roro Jonggrang is not true. The statue was compared to the statue found at Singosari temple (relics of the Singosari kingdom). Both have a similar shape in the form of eight hands with weapons, which is actually a statue of Goddess Durga Mahisasuramardhini.
Goddess Durga is another form of the mountain goddess, Parvati, who is the wife of Lord Shiva. Goddess Durga was assigned to kill the evil buffalo demon named Mahisa. Another form of the giant troublemaker Asura. In India and Indonesia, Goddess Durga is one of the most important Goddesses still worshipped by Hindus.
Surrounded by folklore and historical facts that are constantly evolving, Prambanan Temple is an evidence to a great civilization. This great masterpiece is not only a place of worship and a historical place for Hindus. But it is also the pride of Indonesia and makes it a tourist destination that offers the charm of beauty and extraordinary historical elements.
References :
prambanan.slemankab.go.id
borobudurpark.com
goingtotehran.com
