Description of the attraction
An outstanding monument of the Sanjaya dynasty is the magnificent Shaivite temple complex Lara Jongrang (translated as "slender maiden"). It is located in Prambanan, built at the beginning of the X century.
The Lara Jongrang Hindu temple complex comprises three large temples, five smaller sanctuaries and numerous chapels. The slender and upward-looking main temple of Shiva is especially beautiful.
There are also halls in the temple dedicated to the main gods of the Hindu pantheon - Vishnu and Brahma. All the halls of the temple are decorated with beautiful bas-reliefs. Also on the walls of the temple there is an image of the mythical bird Garuda - the national symbol of Indonesia. In the dry season, when the moon is full, the Ramayana ballet performances are unforgettable.
There is a legend about Prince Bandung Bondovoso, who fell in love with Princess Lara Jongrang, daughter of King Boko. There were two kingdoms at that time, Penjing and Boko. The Penjing kingdom flourished, its ruler was the wise king Prabu Damar Moyo, who had a son, Bandung Bondovoso. And the Boko kingdom was ruled by the cruel giant cannibal Prabu Boko, along with his right hand, the giant Pati Jupolo. King Prabu Boko had a beautiful daughter, Lara Jongrang. Once Prabu Boko wished to expand the borders of his kingdom and started a war with its neighbor - the kingdom of Penjing. When Boko launched his treacherous invasion, the King of Penjing sent his son Bondovoso with an army to repel the attack. During the battle, Boko died, and his assistant Patiom Jupolo returned to the kingdom and told Rare Jongrang that her father had died. The winner Bandung Bondovoso fell in love with the princess and proposed to her. But the princess, thinking that it was he who killed her father, did not accept his offer. Bandung Bondovoso insisted, and the princess came up with a test - the prince must build 1000 temples per night. The prince called for help from higher powers, who helped him build 999 temples. When the prince was finishing the last one, and the princess saw this, she woke up the entire courtyard and ordered fires to be lit from the east side to simulate dawn. The prince realized that he was deceived, flew into a rage, cursed the princess and she turned into a stone statue. According to legend, the last, unfinished temple became the temple of Sevu (“sevu” in Javanese means “thousand”), and the princess is the image of the goddess Durga in the Shiva temple.
