Wednesday, February 22, 2006

I wish I had a Temple.


Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia, located in central Java, approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta. It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate.
The reconstruction of the compound began in 1918, and is currently unfinished. The main building has only been completed in 1953, since it is next to impossible to find the original stonework, which has often been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available. Therefore, from most of the smaller shrines one can still see not much more than their foundation walls.
Today, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical for the hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

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