Prambanan

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta on Java island. Prambanan was built around the year 850, under either Rakai Pikatan, a king of Mataram, or Bali Tung Maha Sambu during the Sanjaya dynasty. Soon after its completion, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate.

The reconstruction of the complex began in 1918 and is still ongoing. The main building was completed in 1953. In particular, the retrieval and the correct assignment of the original building material causes problems, because often material was reused in distant buildings. So only buildings to be rebuilt, of which there are at least 75 percent of the original stones, and many of the smaller shrines still can not see much more than the ground one.

The plant is one of the largest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia. She was recognized in 1991 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is characterized by high and sharp design that is typical of Hindu temples, as well as the strict arrangement of numerous individual stamp to the 47 m high main building in the middle.

The plant consists of eight main shrines or temples - together, and more than 250 individual temples that surround the main shrines. Called the three largest shrines, Trisakti ( " three sacred places " ), the three gods Shiva to preserver and Brahma are dedicated to the creator of the destroyer, Vishnu. This corresponds to the basic structure of the Trimurti - the Hindu Göttertrinität - which in many Hindu temples, also in Indonesia (eg: Besakih in Bali), finds.

On the same site, but at some distance from the Hindu temples is also a system with three smaller Buddhist temple complexes is ( also completely or partially damaged and under reconstruction).

Further afield to the Prambanan still are numerous other temples, many of which are under ash and mud layers that originate from eruptions of the nearby volcano Merapi.

By a powerful earthquake on 27 May 2006, the temple complex of Prambanan, which was already being restored, heavily damaged. To understand the exact extent of the damage, the plant was closed for a few weeks. It severe structural damage to the Candi Brahma, Vishnu and Garuda were found. Since July 2006, re- run large-scale renovations. Exactly how the structural damage should be rectified at said Candi is still open. The debate focused, among other things, a complete rebuild. Since August 2006, Prambanan is open to visitors again. The shrines that are dedicated to Vishnu and Brahma, can be re-entered. The Shiva shrine remains closed due to collapse and rockfall.