Just about
16 kms from Yogyakarta and 40 kms from Borobodur, in central Java, is the Hindu temple of
Prambanan. It's the largest Hindu temple complex on Java and the largest temple compound
dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. It was constructed between the 8th and 10th centuries
(around 50 years later than Borobodur) by the Sanjaya dynasty. The complex was inscribed
in 1991 by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. The complex rising above the centre of several
concentric squares is formed by three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic
of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma)
and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them. In its original form, the
temple complex contained over 250 large and small temples.
