Prambanan Temple, A Prehistoric Relic with Various Beauties

Prambanan Temple – Located approximately 17 km from Yogyakarta, there is one tourist destination with cultural value called Prambanan Temple. According to the Sywarga Inscription, this temple is a temple justify behind by the Ancient Mataram King and is one of the largest in Indonesia.

Before becoming a tourist destination like it is today, Prambanan Temple carved a history of power, love and sacrifice. The story about the origins of this temple is also timeless and is still believed to this day.

This article will not discuss the history of Prambanan Temple in its entirety, but rather a tour starting from entrance tickets, routes and interesting things when visiting there.

A Short History of Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple was founded around the 9th century AD and is located on the border of Yogyakarta and Klaten District, Central Java. This building was once part of the legend of Roro Jonggrang and Bandung Bondowoso. This legend tells the process of establishing the temple which is said to have been Roro Jonggrang’s request.

At that time, Bandung Bondowoso was on a mission to fight the Baka Kingdom’s royal war. But one day, he met Roro Jonggrang and fell in love with King Baka’s daughter.

Even though he extended his hand, Bandung Bondowoso was not afraid to get Roro Jonggrang’s love. Until finally, he was asked to build a temple overnight before his love was accepted.

There was no need to think twice, Bandung Bondowoso accepted the offer. In order to launch a competition, he mobilized an army of genies to help build a thousand temples. Meanwhile, Roro Jonggrang’s party also did not want to make the Bandung mission a success. He then advised the villagers to burn straw and pound rice so that the chickens would cluck because they thought it was morning.

Sure enough, as a result of Roro Jonggrang’s orders, the chickens began to crow noisily. Hearing the sound of chickens, the genie became angry and said goodbye to Bandung because he thought that morning would soon come, even though at this time, he had almost completed his mission.

Because there was one temple missing, Roro Jonggrang was reluctant to accept the proposal from Bandung Bondowoso. Meanwhile, Bandung, who was disappointed, realized that he was being fooled, even though the cock had crowed, the sun had not yet risen. He then realized that Roro Jonggrang had deceived him. Feeling cheated, he became angry and cursed Roro Jonggrang to become the thousandth temple to complete the contest he created.

Exciting Activities That Can Be Done When Visiting Prambanan Temple

There are many interesting things you can do when visiting Prambanan Temple, from learning history, photo hunting to souvenir hunting. Are you curious about what the fun is? Come on, check out the excitement when visiting there:

1. Study the history and reliefs of the temple

Different from temple buildings in general, this place has unique and impressive reliefs. As we know, the reliefs of Prambanan Temple tell about the legends of the Ramayana and Krishnayana.

Reliefs of Iuni puppet characters are on the inner walls of the fence (along the hallway) around the main temple. You can read this relief in full by going around it clockwise, from the east side (Shiva temple) then to the Brahma temple.

2. Photo Hunt at Prambanan Temple

One of the things you shouldn’t miss when visiting this temple is photo hunting. Moreover, this tourist attraction has many favorite photo spots, apart from the majestic temple buildings.

Those of you who come in the afternoon and evening don’t miss seeing the Ramayana Ballet performance. This is a regional performing art that tells the story of the Ramayana and was initiated by local dancers and musicians from various regions. This ballet is usually performed by 200 dancers and starts on Saturday evening at 19.30-21.30 WIB.

3. Hunt for typical Prambanan temple souvenirs

Lastly, and shouldn’t be missed, is hunting for typical souvenirs in the temple area. There are many types of souvenirs you can buy, from local food, souvenirs, accessories and fashion.

What time does Prambanan Temple open?

The following is information related to Prambanan Temple opening hours, entrance ticket prices and facilities:

• Opening hours: 08.00-15.00 WIB
• Ticket Price: IDR 50,000
• Facilities: Parking area, prayer room, rest area, restaurant, souvenir stands, toilets, information boards.

At this point the discussion regarding Prambanan Temple as a local tourist destination is full of history. How about it, interested in visiting there? Let’s arrange a holiday schedule!