Architecture



The architecture is similar to the Candi Plaosan Lor temple, a structure with two storeys and the outer structure is a three-level structure with base, body and roof reflecting Buddhist cosmology (see above under Candi Plaosan). The upper storey, with three rooms, was made of wooden structures with wooden stairs extending from lower storey to upper storey. The lower storey had statues for the monks to pray. Today there are no statues but the frames of Batara Kala indicate the presence of statues once upon a time. The outer wall is covered with niches, bas reliefs of Bodhisattvas, mythical benevolent creatures of Kinnaras/Kinnaris for a total of 36 statues. The statues are in an elegant dance form.

Conclusion

There are interesting places like Ijo Hindu temple and Dieng Plateau with Pandava temples, which I did not have time to visit. But similar to the Angkor, this region is full of Dharmic structures. It is only fair to say that Hinduism survived because of the influence of this region and the Hindu Majapahit Kingdom, which ruled this place before being defeated by Islamic forces in the 16th century. Some of the defeated inhabitants of the Majapahit Kingdom moved to Eastern Java and settled there. Today they form the ethnic group of 300,000 Tenggerese who practice Hinduism and pray at Mount Bromo (which I was fortunate to visit as part of this trip). And more importantly, one of the priests of the Kingdom, Dang Hyang Nirartha, moved to Bali and established the Shivaite Hinduism practiced in that island today.

How did I get there?

I flew into Yogyakarta international airport as it is better connected domestically and internationally. Do note that the local airlines do not take foreign credit cards. So you can’t book tickets online. Just go to their local office to book the local flights. The price from what I noticed remains the same whether you book two months in advance or one day in advance. It is around $35-$40 one way to different destinations. I went to the Denpasar office in Bali – all the local airlines’ desks are in the airport and seated next to each other. Also note that they accept only Indonesian Rupiah and not USD or other foreign currencies.



Prambanan is situated 20 minutes from the Jogjakarta or Yogyakarta international airport. It costs around 70,000 Indonesian Rupiah (conversion rate is roughly 13,000 Rupiah to 1 USD at the time of writing this article) in taxi from the airport to Prambanan.

Where did I stay?

I stayed at Poeri Devata resort, which I happened to book for roughly $38 per night. I had a pleasant experience due to the friendly staffs. The hotel is situated on the backside of the Prambanan complex and provides a view of Prambanan temples. The hotel provides a free ride to the Prambanan temple compound entrance. The other option is to stay in Yogyakarta but I recommend staying in Prambanan as there is easy access to other archaeological complexes like Ratu Boko palace, Candi Sambisari, Candi Plaosan, Candi Kalasan, Candi Sari and one can visit these sites by motorcycle, which you can rent from the hotel at 10,000 rupiahs per hour (roughly $1 USD). Do note you will need an international riding permit.