Second Sunshine and the Prambanan Temple

the Shiva (Siwa) temple towers at 47 meters

We arrived in Prambanan Temple at 2:06PM, after more than 30 minutes of traveling from Mount Merapi. As usual, we paid for another parking fee of 5,000 rupiahs which to my collection was one of the hidden expenses in going to Yogyakarta’s tourist spots. I could have accounted them better less my ignorance. So to you my dear soon-to-be-traveler-to-Yogya, take note, although it’s already considered dirt cheap.

Winning the game of adventure on my second day in Indonesia had been permanently welded in my mind. Anticipation was never gradually building up like an erupting volcano shooting what-have-you in the air. Two-thirds had already been crossed out in my itinerary. Before my second sunshine ended, I already prematurely claimed to have had rocking personal feats and I couldn’t get away with an awkward dancing (excuse me, there’s a lump in my throat).

Significantly lower than in Borobudur, visitors pay 117,000 rupiahs.

Finally, seeing the most beautiful Hindu temple in the world was amazing. I felt the indescribable, most awesome kind of feeling in the world (oops, I apologize for sounding redundant, not again). But seriously, that’s how I felt at that very moment as if I was channeling myself into the rugged years of great worship of gods of early religions, myths, architectures of the old, wars and the warlords and their soldiers. I was literally in a trance. And then I thought of Angkor Wat (my ultimate temple destination, eh).

The Prambanan Temple is actually a large compound of temples. It is also known as Rara Jonggrang complex. According to Wiki, there used to be 240 temples in the compound consisting of:

1. 3 Trimurti temples – the main temples dedicated to the Hindu triad – Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Keeper) and Shiva (the Destroyer)

2. 3 Vahana temples – in front of Trimurti temples dedicated to the vahana (vehicle) of each god; Nandi, Garuda and Hamsa

3. 2 Apit temples – located between the rows of Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side

4    4. 4 Kelir temples – located on 4 cardinal directions right beyond the 4 main gates of inner zone

5    5. 4 Patok temples – located on 4 corners of inner zone

6   6. 224 Pervara temples – arranged in 4 concentric square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52, 60 and 68
     Source: Wiki

But the temples standing today as I have sketched in here are the 3 Trimurti temples, 3 Vahana temples, 2 Apit temples, 3 Kelir temples and 2 Patok temples. Only 2 of the 224 Pervara temples were reconstructed – they stand in the east side. Much in the compound are ruins of Pervara temples.

bas-reliefs telling the epic story, Ramayana

my own sketch of the temples currently standing in the complex

In the north, you can see the smoking Merapi volcano and in the west, the Ramayana Open Theatre where the Ramayana Ballet is staged.

Mount Merapi

the Ramayana Open Theatre 

We left Prambanan at 5:39PM and arrived in Jalan Sosrowijayan at 6:08PM. My second sunshine in Indonesia finally ended. Yes, tired and exhausted, but the day left an indelible travel experience I will carry for all of my life. Mission accomplished!

P.S. When I told the intern tourism students I am Filipino, the thought of it sent the now-exposed-Indonesian-fans into frenzy. I had just become an immediate medium of their greeting, them wanting me to say hi to Christian Bautista. J I enjoyed talking to them while waiting for the sunset that I didn’t really get to witness because it was probably shy forever and then, oops, I remembered my driver.

thank you, Baim!