Mystical Indonesia: temples of Central Java

JAVA ISLAND, INDONESIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

Borobudur temple, Magelang, Central Java This ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and  is considered one of the most beautiful monuments of Southeast Asia along with Angkor Wat. It has more than 2.500 relief panels and more than 500 Buddha statues. It is believed that Borobudur was abandoned during the fourteenth century due to the decline of the Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Prambanan temple, Central Java   This ninth-century Hindu temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Soon after its construction the temple was abandoned and reconstruction works took place in the twentieth century. It was severely damaged during the 2006 earthquake in Java.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

The wonderful Ramayana ballet performance at Prambanan temple, Central Java The focus of this ancient Sanskrit epic are the duties of relationships, representing ideal characters such as the ideal king, the ideal wife or the ideal brother. This literary work of ancient India has greatly influenced art and culture both in the subcontinent and in Southeast Asia, resulting in the existence of hundreds of different versions.