PRAMBANAN TEMPLES

The Prambanan plain is home to at least 240 temples, but unfortunately most of them have either been destroyed or are impossible to access. Along with the famous Borobodur, this complex represents the apogee of Javanese Hindu-Buddhist art. Today, you can visit the eight main temples of the central courtyard, restored by the Dutch after their "discovery" in 1813.

The temples of Prambanan (on the left after the entrance) are said to have been built to commemorate the power of the Hindu dynasty between the ^8th and ^10th centuries, the period of their apogee in Indonesia. The site is flat, devoid of vegetation, and it's precisely this flatness that highlights the magnificent architecture of Candi Prambanan, which comprises three main buildings.

The largest of these, the Candi Shiva Mahadeva, is also known as the Candi Rara Jonggrang (graceful maiden). It is dedicated to Shiva, the southern one to Brahma and the northern one to Vishnu. Around it, some 280 temples line up in four rows; most of them, however, are nothing more than piles of stones, a reminder of the site's former grandeur, when, according to legend, a thousand temples had been erected. An explosion in the nearby Merapi is said to have been responsible for the destruction of much of the site, a destruction then accelerated by widespread looting by antiquities seekers and locals, who used the materials to build their own homes.

The temple of Shiva was destined to house the burial place of a king. At 47 metres high, it is the largest in the country. As at Borobudur, walkable galleries lead past bas-reliefs in the temples of Vishnu and Brahma. The former tells the story of Krishna and houses a statue of Vishnu inside (Vishnu, also known as Hari, is a god charged with preserving the order of the world); the latter evokes the final scenes of the Ramayana and houses a statue of Brahma, the creator god of the universe. You'll probably see people meditating near these statues.

Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva form what is known as the "trimurti" or Hindu trinity: Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the protector, Shiva the destroyer.

Nearly a kilometer to the north (but within the Prambanan site), Candi Sewu is an interesting complex, and an equally interesting walk. There's a main temple (recently restored) and smaller ones all around. If you don't feel like walking, there's a small train that runs regular shuttles for around 6,000 Rp.