Prambanan Temple Compounds
Candi Prambanan · Loro Jonggrang
Mataram Hindu-Buddhist c.850–900 CE (peak Rakai Kayuwangi)·Central Javanese Hindu (Trimurti Shivite)·🇮🇩 Central Java Province, Sleman Regency (Yogyakarta / Central Java border), Indonesia
About
About Prambanan Temple Compounds
Largest Hindu temple complex in Southeast Asia (c.850 CE) of Mataram Pu Sanjay, with 47 m Shiva terraced shrine (Candi Siwa) surrounded by 238 smaller shrines in concentric mandala, opposite Sewu Buddhist compound showing tolerance. Collapsed in 16th c earthquake, meticulously anastylosis restored 1918–1991 and still seismically vulnerable.
Why it mattersLargest Hindu temple complex in Southeast Asia (c.850 CE) of Mataram Pu Sanjay, with 47 m Shiva terraced shrine (Candi S
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why adjacent Hindu Prambanan and Buddhist Sewu within 800 m – competition or harmony?
- 02Earthquake anastylosis authenticity – which stones original?
Theories
- 01Trimurti alignment encode post-Mataram religious synthesis
- 02Volcanic and seismic tuff explains repeated collapse
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.850 CE under Rakai Pikatan?
- Period
- Mataram Hindu-Buddhist c.850–900 CE (peak Rakai Kayuwangi)
- Culture
- Central Javanese Hindu (Trimurti Shivite)
- Purpose
- Shiva cosmological mountain replicating Meru and royal legitimacy adjacent to Buddhist Sewu
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.850 CE under Rakai Pikatan?
Initial construction
c. 1543 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
7.7520° S · 110.4910° E · 154 m · 3 mapped features
Candi Shiva (Lara Jonggrang) central 47 m
shrineTallest Hindu temple in Indonesia with Garuda story reliefs
7.7520° S · 110.4915° ECandi Sewu Buddhist twin precinct
buddhist templeSecond largest Buddhist temple 800 m north of Shiva
7.7440° S · 110.4890° ECandi Lumbung and Bubrah central temples
templeBuddhist temples central zone
7.7480° S · 110.4900° E
Gallery