The DISSECTIONS of the PRAMBANAM Complex Dr Uday Dokras

The DISSECTIONS of the PRAMBANAM Complex Dr Uday Dokras The grand temple city of Prambanan was built from 850 CE on. The building phase stretched definitely, over a few decades. The construction was started by the ruling king of the time king Rakai Pikatan and his completed during his successor. The Archaeological Park of Prambanan is of a considerable size. One has to walk several kilometers to come around here. In my book mentioned below… The Architecture of Rakai Pinkatan buildings https://www.academia.edu/105089910/The_Architecture_of_Rakai_Pinkatan_buildings_BOOK I have discussed the theory that the Shivagriha at Prambanan was built by the King Rakai Pinkaton. The problem arises because of the lack of written descriptions or record underlining the order to built and attributing who built the Prambanan. Once we know the ruler one can trace the building or vice versa. The dating of Prambanan is also not exactly known. From AD 850 to 9 the century variations are found in dating. The following were the rulers at that time. The Prambanan Temple zones The Prambanan temple complex consists of three zones. The three main inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper, and Shiva the Destroyer. The Shiva temple Indonesia dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer is the tallest and largest structure in the Prambanan complex, it measures 47 meters tall. The Shiva temple contains five chambers, four small chambers in every cardinal direction, and one bigger main chamber in the central part of the temple. The largest chamber contains a 3 metre high statue of Shiva Mahadeva. Vishnu Temple is dedicated to Vishnu the Preserver. It measures 33 metres tall. The relief Prambanan statues around its perimeter tell the story of Lord Krishna, a personification of Vishnu. Brahma Temple is dedicated to Brahma the Creator. It measures 33 metres tall with its relief panels around the perimeter also telling the story of the Ramayana . However on my recent visit to the area I was met by a scholar and guide who propounded the theory that it was a a collection of monumental Hindu temples built by Wangsa Sanjaya, namely Raja Balitung Maha Sambu.- a King of the Sanjaya Dynasty. This allegation is based on the contents of the Shiwagriha Inscription which was found around Prambanan and is currently stored in the National Museum in Jakarta. This inscription dated 778 Saka (856 AD) was written during the reign of Rakai Pikatan.Prambanan Jogja is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. “The inscription dating from 778 Saka (856 AD) was written during the reign of Rakai Pikatan the Mataram Kingdom, rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty”. – Borobudurpark The original plan of Prambanan Temple was rectangular, consisting of an outer courtyard and three courtyards, namely Jaba (outer courtyard), Tengahan (middle courtyard) and Njeron (inner courtyard).The outer courtyard is an open area that surrounds the outer courtyard. The outer courtyard is oval in shape with an area of 390 m2. This courtyard was previously surrounded by a stone fence which is now in ruins. The outer court was currently just an empty court. It is not yet known whether there were originally buildings or other decorations in this courtyard. In the middle of the outer courtyard, there is a second courtyard, namely the central courtyard which has a rectangular shape covering an area of 222 m2. The central courtyard used to be surrounded by a stone fence which has now also collapsed. This courtyard consists of four terraced terraces, the deeper you go, the higher you go. On the first terrace, namely the lowest terrace, there are 68 small temples lined up around, divided into four rows by a connecting road between the courtyard doors. On the second terrace there are 60 temples, on the third terrace there are 52 temples, and on the fourth terrace, or the top terrace, there are 44 temples. All the temples in the central courtyard have the same shape and size, namely a ground plan area of 6 m2 and a height of 14 m. Almost all the temples in the central courtyard are currently in ruins. All that remains are the ruins. The inner courtyard is the highest courtyard and is considered the most sacred place. This courtyard has a rectangular floor plan covering an area of 110 m2, with a height of about 1.5 m from the surface of the top terrace of the central courtyard. This courtyard is surrounded by plaster and stone fences. On all four sides there are gates in the form of the paduraksa gate. Currently only the gate on the south side is still intact. In front of each gate of the top courtyard there is a pair of small temples, with a square base plan measuring 1.5 m2 with a height of 4 m. In the inner courtyard there are 2 rows of temples stretching north and south. In the west row there are 3 temples facing east. The northernmost temple is the Vishnu Temple, in the middle is the Shiva Temple, and in the south is the Brahma Temple. In the eastern row there are also 3 temples facing west. These three temples are called candi rides (wahana = vehicle), because each temple is named after the animal which is the ride of the god whose temple is located in front of it. The temple facing the Vishnu Temple is the Garuda Temple, the one facing the Shiva Temple is the Nandi (ox) Temple, and the one facing the Brahma Temple is the Angsa Temple. Thus, these six temples face each other to form a hallway. The Vishnu, Brahma, Angsa, Garuda and Nandi temples have the same shape and size, namely a square basic plan of 15 m2 with a height of 25 m. At the north and south ends of each hall there is a small temple facing each other, called Candi Apit. The Sanjaya dynasty, to which both the suspected Kings belonged, known in Sanskrit: as  सञ्जय, which literally means 'conquest, victory, triumphant' was a Javanese dynasty which ruled the Mataram Kingdom in Java during the first millennium CE. The dynasty promoted Hinduism on the island. According to the Canggal inscription, the dynasty was founded in 732 by Sanjaya of Mataram. The inscription was discovered in the village of Canggal, southwest of Magelang. This inscription was written in the south Indian Tamil Pallava script and describes the erection of a linga (a symbol of Shiva) on the hill in the Kunjarakunja area. According to the inscription, the area is on an island known as Yawadwipa (Java) which contained much rice and gold. Yawadwipa was ruled by King Sanna, whose long reign was characterized by wisdom and virtue. After Sanna died, the kingdom fell into chaos and confusion. At this time, Sanjaya of Mataram ascended to the throne. He was the son of Sannaha, Sanna's sister. Sanjaya mastered the scriptures and the martial arts and military arts. He conquered neighboring areas, and his wise reign led to peace and prosperity. According to Carita Parahyangan (a later text which primarily describes the history of the Sunda Kingdom), Sanjaya was the son of Sanna and Sannaha sannāha (Old Javanese for 'armed, ready'). This relationship, between King Sanna and Sanjaya, was not provided in the Canggal inscription. The Carita Parahyangan also says that King Sanna was defeated by his cousin, King Purbasora of Galuh, and retreated to Mount Merapi. Sanjaya later reclaimed Sanna's kingdom and ruled West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Bali. He was also involved in battle with the Malayu and Kalingga Kingdoms. Except for minor differences, Carita Parahyangan aligns with the Canggal inscription. The Sanjaya–Shailendra relationship has been uncertain It has been theorized that there was no distinct Sanjaya dynasty and one dynasty, Shailendra, ruled central Java. The kingdom was called Mataram (Javanese: mātaram), with its capital in the Mataram]] area. Sanjaya and his offspring belonged to the Shailendra family, who were initially Shaivist. Another theory suggests that the Sanjaya dynasty was forced into northern Java by the Shailendra dynasty, which emerged around 778. Evidence for this event is based on the Kalasan inscription. The Sanjaya and Shailendra dynasties co-existed during this period in central Java, which was characterized by peace and cooperation. The association of Shailendra with Mahayana Buddhism began after the conversion of Raja Sankhara (Rakai Panaraban or Panangkaran) to Buddhism.  Later Shailendran kings, successors of Panangkaran, also became followers of Mahayana Buddhism and gave it royal patronage in Java until the end of Samaratungga's reign. This theory is based on the Raja Sankhara inscription (now missing), the Sojomerto inscription, and the Carita Parahyangan manuscript. Shaivism regained royal patronage again from the reign of Pikatan to the end of the Mataram Kingdom. The Shailendra family used the Old Malay language in some of their inscriptions, which suggests the dynasty's origin in Sumatra and their connections with Srivijaya. This theory posits that the Shailendras, with their strong connections to Srivijaya, gained control of central Java and ruled the rakais (local Javanese lords); this included the Sanjaya, incorporating the dynasty's kings into their bureaucracy. The dynastic court was apparently in the southern Kedu Plain, near Magelang (north of Yogyakarta). The Javanese kingdoms maintained a close relationship with the Champa polities of mainland Southeast Asia as early as the Sanjaya dynasty. Like the Javanese, the Chams are an Austronesian people. An example of their relationship can be seen in the architecture of Cham temples, which share a number of similarities with temples in central Java built during the Sanjaya dynasty. Crown prince Rakai Pikatan married Pramodhawardhani (833–856), a daughter of the Shailendra king Samaratungga. The influence of the Hindu Sanjaya began to replace the Buddhist Shailendra in Mataram. Rakai Pikatan overthrew King Balaputra, son of Samaratungga and the brother of Pramodhawardhani. In 850, the Sanjaya dynasty became the sole ruler in Mataram. This ended the Shailendra presence in central Java and Balaputra retreated to rule in Srivijaya, Sumatra. Information about the Sanjaya dynasty is also found in the 907 Balitung inscription; when a ruler died, he assumed a divine form. From this inscription, scholars estimated the sequence of the Sanjaya kings: Sanjaya (732–760) Panangkaran (760–780) Panungalan (780–800) Samaragrawira(Rakai Warak) (800–819) Rakai Garung (819–838) Rakai Pikatan (838–850) Rakai Kayuwangi (850–898), also known as Lokapala Balitung (898–910) During the Sanjaya dynasty, classic Javanese literature blossomed. Translations and adaptations of classic Hindu literature into Old Javanese were produced, such as the Kakawin Ramayana. Around the 850s, Pikatan began construction of the Prambanan temple in central Java; it was later completed and expanded by King Balitung. The Prambanan temple complex is one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia, rivaling Borobudur (the world's largest Buddhist temple). Sanjaya kings after Balitung were: Daksa (910–919) Tulodong (919–924) Wawa (924–929) Mpu Sindok (929–947) In 929, Mpu Sindok moved the Mataram court from central Java to eastern Java for unclear reasons. Possible causes include an eruption of the Merapi volcano, a power struggle, or political pressure from the Shailendra dynasty in the Srivijaya Empire. The move to eastern Java marked the end of the Sanjaya dynasty, and it was followed by the Isyana dynasty. The original plan of Prambanan Temple Java is rectangular, consisting of an outer courtyard and three courts, namely Jaba (outer court), Tengahan (middle court), and Njeron (inner court). Prambanan Temple Compounds consist of Prambanan Temple (also called Loro Jonggrang or Rara Jonggrang), Sewu Temple, Bubrah Temple and Lumbung Temple.  Prambanan Temple itself is a Hindu temple complex consisting of 240 temples. Initially, there were 240 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or been looted leaving just scattered stones. Rising above the centre of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with the intricate relief Candi Prambanan depicts 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.The complex is laid out in the form of a mandala and features the tall jagged towering spires that are typical of Hindu Prambanan temple architecture, and represent Meru (like Mount Semeru), the holy mountain where the gods live. The site of Prambanan is divided into three different zones. Although Prambanan is, in difference to Borobodur, a hindu sanctuary, it's following partially similar concepts. One of them is the purity of spirituality. The pilgrimage from bottom to top of Borobodur is a spiritual voyage from the primitive, earthy being to a purified, spiritual being of enlightenment. Although enlightenment plays no role in hinduism, the concept of Prambanan is also following the ideal of spiritual purification. The outer area is for 'normal' beings with all their failures, the middle section is already for advanced beings with a considerable spirituality, while the inner, central platform is exclusively for the highest spirits, the gods, the high priests, the king and his family, ministers and inner circles. Prambanan Temple Compound Remarkably, the outer area is, although squareshaped as the two inner areas, aligned in a different angle. Since there are no buildings in the outer area left, the outer area as such doesn't exist anymore. Prambanan Archeological Park is an area of a considerable size. Best to explore it is, as always, by walking. Therefore one should take his/her time. It's defenitely worth to come here more than one time, because there is so much to explore that it's too exhausting for one visit. Besides it's always a pleasure to see such great sights in different lights and weathers. Beside of Prambanan Temple Compound itself there are three other temple sites in the Archeological Park. The largest is buddhist Candi Sewu, older than Prambanan and also a big temple compound, which originally consisted of hundreds of temples. Candi Lumbung and Candi Bubrah are smaller and both in a comparable poor state of restoration. Interestingly, it seems that the Opak River has been altered in his course by the builders of the monuments. A waterwork project has been mentioned on the Shivagrha inscription, where Prambanan is described. Originally, the river run more eastward, close along the temple compound. The three areas of Prambanan Temple Compound.Pic above The park is enclosed by a fence of about 1.90m height. The entrance fee in the mid 1990s was very low, but rose massively in the meantime; in May 2012 it was 15 US$ for a foreigner, for Indonesians merely a part of it. The Central Platform The central part or platform of Prambanan was the most sacred part of the compound. It's assemblage consists of eight bigger temples. Here one sees the levelling approach to the inner square. A huge amount of foundation material must have been transported to the site to shape this landscape. The tall building is, of course, Candi Shiva The three main temples, Trisakti (three Strengths) are built in an exact north-south alignment. The central main temple, Candi Rara Jonggrang, was dedicated to Shiva, the inventor of new things, but also a great destroyer (maybe according to neighbouring Mount Merapi, who destroys frequently surrounding lands but creates and feeds new life due to his fertile volcanic ashes). The height of the main monument is an impressive 47m with a square base of 35m each side. The main temple is ornamented with a number of reliefs who show episodes of the hindu epic Ramayana. In the main chamber is a statue of Shiva placed, in four smaller sidechambers are statues of Shiva's wife Durga, Shivas teacher Agastya and Shiva's son, the elephant god Ganesha. Deep inside the Shiva temple there was an urn found together with quite a variety of funeral adjuncts. North of area stands the Vishnu temple. Although it's clearly smaller than the main temple it's still of an impressive height of 34m and a base square of 19m each side. There is only one chamber inside where a statue of Vishnu is erected. A sequence of bas-reliefs on Vishnu temple depict the story of lord Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana epos. The southern one of the three main temples is that of Brahma, the creator. He is of the same size as the Vishnu temple and houses as well a single statue, and you won't guess it, it's Brahma himself. These main temples are placed on the square central platform, together with three more, but smaller secondary temples. Each of it's sides is 222 meters long. One approaches it by climbing some steps up, entering one of four gates. Only the northern gate is restored, the other three gates are broken. At the wall of the eastern gate more reliefs, who depict the Ramayana epos, start and span all around the inner area. The relief panels have to be read in a clockwise direction. The three 'secondary' temples opposite the main temples who are dedicated to the three central hindu gods, serve as shrines for the gods vehicles. Nandi temple, opposite the Shiva temple Rara Jonggrang is the housing for Vahana, the devine bull. Vahana appears in company with two more deities in Candi Nandi, that's Chandra and Surya. The entrance to one of the side chambers of the Shiva temple Rara Jonggrang. In 2012 access was denied due to danger of (partial) collapse, an aftermath of the 2006 earthquake. The temple opposite to the Vishnu temple was probably housing a Garuda, but it's empty now. Generations of tomb raiders took out what they wanted. The vehicle of Brahma is Angsa (also: Hansa), a swan who appears also often in hindu and buddhist temples. Certainly in the shrine of the temple opposite to Brahma there was once a statue of Angsa/Hamsa placed, but now it's empty as well.So they say. The central platform or inner area is the most sacred part of the whole temple compound. To mark it's importance it's surrounded by a wall with the mentioned four gates. It is Vaikumtha on Earth - the gods habitat, and only exclusive, privileged members of the medieval Prambanan society were supposedly allowed to enter it. Additionally it was certainly a highly ritualized event to visit the divine platform. Prambanan, North Gate Prambanan, approaching the main platform from the north. The northern gate is the only of the four gates which is restorated. The main temples at the right side are the Vishnu and Shiva temples; the Brahma temple is covered behind the main one. Left side one sees the complementary temples for the gods mystical animal vehicles. The Middle Area The main platform as the center of the whole complex is surrounded by a middle part, where in former times 224 temples of smaller sizes were built in four rows. These shrines were made in an identical style. Row for row, approaching the inner area, are slightly elevated. Since hinduism is a strict caste system, it's possible that the four different elevations reflect the hindu casts. The temples of the middle area are called Candi Perwara, what means somewhat like guardian temples. Today they are in ruin- merely stone heaps where once the buildings were. Only two of them are reconstructed, while the remains of all the others are tidily piled up at their places. The middle area was the space for askets and lower gods. Hinduism is so very, very rich in different gods; many of the smaller gods are local gods who don't appear elsewhere in the Hindu world.In its heyday, it is possible that the middle area with all the smaller monuments was partially inhabited by Brahmans. Prambanan Temple Middle Compound The middle part of Prambanan Temple Compound, as it looks now, after numerous earthquakes. Merely debris is left. At least two of the 224 monuments of the middle area are reconstructed. One of them is to see in the left picture, left edge. The Outer Area All the three areas are square shaped. Around the middle part is a wider space, aligned in a remarkable, differing pattern, which was dedicated to the commoners, animals and demons. It's for those who stick to physical desires, who lead an unspiritual way of life. That's then, 'naturally' the commoners, who are not part of the elite classes. The boost of religious monuments came certainly along with a stricter hierarchical structuration of the ancient Javanese society. A Sanjaya nobleman in the bas reliefs of Prambanan. /Servants in the bas reliefs of Prambanan. They are easily recognizable by their haircut. Numerous details are worked into the fresco. The building in the background looks like a simple dwelling. In ancient times, when Prambanan was a living culture, there were certainly buildings and maybe housings of people in the outer area who had anything to do with the construction, maintaining or ritual functions of the sacred place. Since these buildings were made of organic materials, they are gone. Still, there should be traces left around the Prambanan temple compound where one finds more temples in the wider area. Among them are even buddhist temples, such as Candi Sewu, which is 2 kilometer away but still lies in today’s Prambanan Archeological Park. It is generally believed that the ruling dynasty who let the Prambanan temple complex built, was the Sanjaya. The Sanjaya dynasty was named after their first king Sanjaya, who established the dynasty in the early 8th century, and ruled the Mataram kingdom (also: Medang kingdom) in central Java. The Sanjayas established their rule before the competing Sailendras appeared in the region. Witness of the dynasty's founding father is the Canggal inscription, a stone stela found at the foot of Ukir (Wukir) hill on the southern Kedu Plain. However, it's not fully clear how the relationship between the Sanjaya and Sailendra dynasty has looked. The Sailendras came later to Java, and their origin is dubious. There are strong hints that the Sailendras were ruling the Srivijaya empire in south Sumatra and had originally roots reaching back to the empire of Funan, the first civilization in Southeast Asia. The Sailendras name and reputation is mostly related to the errection of buddhist Borobodur. However, it's possible that the Sailendras ruled over the Sanjayas, who were then merely a vassal of the Sailendras. There are no indications for much violent conflict between the two, and also religious struggle played seemingly no or merely a minor role. It seems that the Sanjayas overcame the Sailendras in the years around 850 CE, and were in the following decades the sole rulers over central Java. As a symbol of their reign the erection of Prambanan happened from 850 CE on. The ruling Sanjaya king of the time was Rakai Pikatan (reign: 838-850 CE). This king Rakai Pikatan was married to princess Pramodhawardhani, the daughter of king Samaratunga of the Sailendras. The princess is seen as the model of the statue of Durga Mahisasuramardini, placed in the northern chamber of the grand Shiva temple. She is seen as identical with Rara Jonggrang of the famous Javanese folktale . It's also remarkable that the hindu Sanjayas didn't do any harm to the older buddhist monuments of the Sailendras like very nearby Candi Sewu. Their ambition seemed to have been competitive with the buddhist buildings and maybe even to overcome them in magnificence. But as a religion and a philosophical concept buddhism was, as it looks, not seen as a competitor to hinduism. Newer, alternative suggestions from Indonesian historians are that there was only one, the Sailendra dynasty, who ruled over central Java. The kingdom was called Mataram (Medang), and it's capital was in the Mataram area, north of Yogyakarta. Following this theory, Sanjaya and his offspring was part of the Sailendras. Sanjaya's son converted to Mahayana buddhism, what explains the two different religions in the area and the time. The whole era ended at the year 928, most probably because of natural disasters who caused the people of central Java to leave the heavily destroyed land what was under a partially several meters thick layer of Merapi's ashes. The court of the empire was moved then to east Java (929 CE) by the then ruling king Mpu Sindok (Sri Isyana Vikramadhammatunggadeva). The empire's name was changed then to 'Medang'. Sewu temple is one of many monuments of the Sailendras. Sewu is, like Borobodur, a Mahayana buddhist temple. The Mataram Kingdom Since we lack thorough information of the time and the key personalities of the time, it's a bit irritating to have at least two different, partially contradicting theories about the nobility of the time. However, it is clear that the Mataram kingdom was the dominating empire over larger parts of central and east Java. From it's foundation by king Sanjaya to it's extinction in east Java it spanned the time from 717 CE or 732 CE to 1006 CE, what is at least 274 years. The first two centuries marked the developing of classical Javanese arts and architecture. The Mataram kingdom became more and more the rival of the hegemonic Srivajaya empire of south Sumatra. Impirial ornamentic at Candi Sewu. The Roman empire, the British empire, actually all the empires of the past produced a lot of state art. In the 19th century the western culture separated arts and industrial products into two branches. The centuries long livespan of the empire of Mataram marks the construction of thousands of temples throughout central Java. Beside Prambanan, Sewu and Borobodur there was certainly also a connection to the hindu temple city on the Dieng Plateau. Remarkable is the connection between the Mataram kingdom and the Khmer of the time. In the late 8th century the Sailendras led military expeditions into what is now south Vietnam and Cambodia. Sailendra king Samaragrawira (reign 800-819 CE) appointed the Khmer prince Jayavarman as a vassal governor of the Mekong Delta (the province was called then 'Indrapura'). Jayavarman, however, broke with the Javanese rule and moved the Mekong River upwards to the Tonle Sap Lake, where he founded the empire of Angkor in 802 CE. Further away now from the coast, where the Javanese ruled with their superiour navy, the new Angkorian empire had the back free do develop there another grand civilization with the constructions of famous Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. The Legend of Rara Jonggrang Once upon a time there were two kingdoms in central Java, Pengging and Boko. The first was ruled by a wise king who had a son called Bandung. The second was ruled by a cruel giant which name was Prabu Boko. Prabu Boko was a man-eater. Despite his unpleasant manners he had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Rara Jonggrang. 'Rara', in ancient Javanese pronounced as 'Roro', was a honouring title for a noble virgin maiden. 'Rara Jonggrang' can be translated as 'Slender Virgin'. Rara Jonggrang Prambanan's main Shiva temple Rara Jonggrang in the state of 1923/Rara Jonggrang. Originally the statue is meaned to be Durga, one of the popular female hindu gods. She symbolizes perfection and is famous for having killed the buffalo demon Mahisasur in the hindu religion. Her statue is placed in the northern side chamber (Chella)of the main Shiva temple. The real, living model for the statue was supposedly Pramodhawardhani, the wife of Rakai Pikatan, the king who let built the temples of Prambanan. It's very probable that the highest representatives of the ancient culture set themselves a memorial in giving the gods their own physical traits. Prabo Boko now wished to expand his empire on the cost of it's neighbour and launched a surprising attack on Pengging. Fighting was hard and caused much devastation and a famine in both countries. At the climax of the struggle the king of Pengging sent his son, Bandung, to fight Prabo Boko. Bandung, who could perform supernatural powers, killed the evil giant in a dramatic fight. In a following attack Penggang's army captured Prabo Boko's capital and palace. When Bandung met princess Rara Jonggrang he was struck by her beauty and urgently wished to marry her. The princess, still in grief for her father's dead refused. However, since her side lost the war, she was not in the condition to, and Bandung insisted on the marriage. So, Rara Jonggrang thought to trick him out by demanding two conditions: first, the prince must built a deep well with the name Jalatunda, and second that the prince has to build a thousand temples in only a single night. After Bandung finished the well, the princess could convince him to climb down into it. One of her allies, a giant as her father was, threw big stones then into the well to bury Bandung alive. With all his strength and his supernatural powers Bandung succeeded to escape the trap. He even forgave the princess her bad deed and started the second task, the temple construction. Prince Bandung relied again on his supernatural powers and went to work, calling numerous daemons to help him constructing the buildings. The princess therefore went with her servants to the east where they lit a great fire and started pouncing rice, indicating so the beginning of the next day. The roosters, who were fooled, cried out and prince Bandung's daemons, almost ready with their work and had built already 999 temples, left the site, abandoning the last temple unfinished. The prince, now realizing the cheat, cursed Rara Jonggrang and a spell of him turned her into a stone statue. Put into the northern chamber of the thousandth temple (known as the Durga statue), Rara Jonggrang became herself part of it and was namegiving for the grand Shiva temple of Prambanan. The legend of Rara Longgrang contributes to the confusion about the rivaling dynasties of the central Java of the time. Is here the conflict between the Sailendras and the Sanjayas described? It is possible that prince Bandung was Rakai Pikatan, the Sanjaya initiator of Prambanan, while the giant king might be Samaratungga of the Sailendras. Rara Jonggrang then is Pramodhawardhani, Rakai Pikatan's wife and daughter of the Sailendra king. The legend of Rara Jonggrang might be the description of the final violent conflict between the two dynasties and their empires which led to the defeat of the Sailendras and their emigration back to Sumatra. The Sanjayas then ordered the construction of the hindu Prambanan temple site to cement their power. One has to add that the legend of Rara Jonggrang was invented in the time when the Javanese court had moved already to east Java. Since history is mostly written by the victors, the legend sets the Sanjayas around Ratu Boko in the justice position, while the opponents appear aggressive, brutal, treacherous, partially as man-eating monsters. It could be also thinkable that, if the one-dynasty theory is correct, the Sailendras had internal strife and the dynasty broke apart, triggering a civil war.Ratu Boko is also a fortress not far away from the Prambanan site. It's very extraordinary to find a medieval fortress in Southeast Asia, for normally exclusively sacred buildings were built in stone. Morevover, at Ratu Boko there is a palace building and a crematory remaining. Archeological traces give hints that there was once a battle at Ratu Boko. The heavy volcanic outbreaks led to the extinction of the central Javanese cultures of the age. Due to the volcanis activity, after 928 CE the court of the Mataram empire was shifted to east Java. Two of the fiercest earthquakes in 1549 and 1584 destroyed the temples almost completely. It was then widely forgotten for a time and by chance rediscovered in 1811. Soon after the completition of the temples a mysterious depopulation of central Java also hit the temple city of Prambanan and the temples were abandoned. There were outbreaks of Mount Merapi and earthquakes in the years from 928 CE on. That's the result of the first restoration of 1918 and the following years. The photo was displayed in the Prambanan Museum. It's an interesting footnote of history that all the three most significant Javanese sights, Borobodur, the temple city on the Dieng Plateau and Prambanan, were rediscovered in the short time of British rule over Java (1811-16). The monuments were used as a quarry for building materials and roads. Scientific researches started at 1885, but the first systematical research was done in 1918. Main basic reconstruction and restoration began in 1937 and lasted until 1966. Candi Sewu's temple dome. Candi Sewu is of a considerable size. The sight of Prambanan lies merely some 18km northeast of the city of Yogyakarta. In the further surroundings are many more temples to see suvh as Candi Lumbung, Candi Bubrah and Candi Sewu, a buddhist monument. Spread over the wider surroundings are many more temples of the 9th and 10th century, as Candi Plaosan, Candi Sambisari and Kraton Ratu Boko, rather a palace and a fortified castle than another temple site.