Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022 holidays are in sight, have Advontura friends planned a vacation with relatives or family? If not, the Prambanan Temple tourist attraction in Yogyakarta can be the right choice.
Prambanan Temple is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. This historic temple has now been designated by UNESCO as one of the 7 wonders of the world and has become one of the most favorite historical tourist attractions in Yogyakarta.
Not only domestic tourists, these temple attractions are also in great demand by foreign tourists who want to witness the splendor of Indonesia’s historic heritage.
In addition to being used as a place Christmas and New Year holidays, Temples from the ancient Mataram era can also be used as historical tours with family, colleagues and your partner. Are you curious about the complete appearance of the Prambanan Temple tour? Come on, read the following article to the end.
The splendor of Prambanan Temple
The location of Prambanan Temple is on the border of Yogyakarta and Central Java. The temple which has the designation of the thousand temples has been designated as a World Heritage Site UNESCO since 1991 together with Borobudur Temple.
The temple building which was built in the 9th century was dedicated as a tribute to Trimurti or the three main gods in Hinduism, namely the god of destruction named Lord Shiva, the guardian god named Lord Vishnu and the creator god named Lord Brahma.
The temple area is divided into 3 zones. The first zone is the njobo (outer) courtyard which has an area of around 390 square meters. This zone is inspired by Bhurloka which symbolizes mortal life and is depicted at the bottom of the courtyard building.
Second, Pelataran Tengahan (middle) which was built on an area of 222 square meters. The courtyard has 4 terraces arranged in steps. Previously, the central courtyard had 878 temples of the same size. However, due to age and the effects of the earthquake that hit Jogja in 2006, the courtyard is now just a ruin.
The last one is the Court of Njeron which is inspired by Svargaloka/the highest and most sacred realm. In the courtyard of njeron, visitors can find 3 main temples and are considered the most sacred, namely the Shiva temple, Vishnu temple and Brahma temple.
Each of these temples has a companion temple in the form of Nandini, Garuda and Angsa. Apart from that, there are also 2 flanking temples, 4 kelir temples, 4 ancillary temples, up to 224 temples on the second page.
Shiva Temple is an icon of Prambanan which has a length and width of about 34 square meters with a height of approximately 47 meters or 5 meters higher than Borobudur Temple.
As soon as visitors enter the temple area, you can find the Shiva statue in the main room of the temple, while the other room contains the statues of Agastya (Shiva’s teacher), Ganesha (Shiva’s son) to Durga (Shiva’s wife) statue which is associated with the Rara Jonggrang statue in the story Javanese people.
Apart from the Shiva temple, on the north/left side of Shiva there is also a Vishnu temple measuring 20×20 square meters and about 37 meters high. Here visitors can find a statue of Lord Vishnu and his incarnation, namely Krishna.
Meanwhile, on the south side or on the right side of Shiva, there is the Brahma Temple which contains a 2 meter high statue of Lord Brahma. This temple also has the same size as the Vishnu Temple.
When visiting here, make sure you don’t miss the beauty of the relief sculptures of Prambanan Temple on the edge of the wall which tell the story of the Ramayana and Bhagawata Purana and the wise men in Hinduism.
For tourists who want to learn more about Indonesian culture and history, Prambanan Temple is a suitable tourist destination for you to visit. The experience of historical tourism with the atmosphere of Ancient Mataram will be more pronounced if you come here in the late afternoon.
The temple complex looks even more beautiful with a view of the sunset on the western horizon which of course can amaze you.
The location of this Prambanan Temple seemed to be proof of the progress of human civilization at that time because it was able to build large temples with extraordinary architectural art without the help of advanced technology.
History of Prambanan Temple
Until now, it is not certain who built this temple and when it was built. However, there are two versions of the legend of the Prambanan Temple which are believed to be the reason for the formation of this magnificent building.
The first is the story of the love story of Rara Jonggrang and Bandung Bandawasa, which of course is familiar to our ears. According to legend, Rara Jonggrang asked for 1000 temples in one night as a condition for accepting Bandung Bandawasa’s proposal.
With the help of the genie, Bandung Bandawasa almost completed the 1000 temples but was thwarted by Rara Jonggrang. Knowing this cheating, Bandung Bandawasa was angry and cursed Rara Jonggrang to be the last statue to complete the 999 temples.
The second version of the legend, namely the Jogja temple, is estimated to have been built in the middle of the 9th century, to be precise, in 778 Saka (856 AD) during the Ancient Mataram dynasty of the Sanjaya dynasty. Where King Rakai Pikatan perfected and expanded the area by King Lokapala and Sri Maharaja Balitung Maha Sambu.
The construction of this temple is actually an attempt to match the splendor of Borobudur Temple and to honor Lord Shiva as the supreme god for Hindus. Because of the splendor of the building, Prambanan serves as a grand temple Ancient Mataram Kingdom as well as a place for holding important royal ceremonies.
This assumption is based on the contents of the Siwagrha inscription found around the Prambanan area. Until now, the inscription written during the reign of Raja Rakai Pikatan is stored in the Jakarta National Museum.
Around the 930s, this temple building began to be abandoned and destroyed because Mpu Sindok, who was the last king of the Sanjaya dynasty, moved the center of the kingdom to East Java. It is not yet known for certain what caused the center of the kingdom to be moved.
However, the biggest possibility was caused by the massive eruption of Mount Merapi which towered about 20 km north of the temple and other causes due to wars and power struggles. This building actually collapsed in the 16th century.
Until 1733 the ruins of this temple were discovered and reported by CA Lons. At that time, it was not known who built this temple, so the legend of Roro Jonggrang was created, which has been passed down from generation to generation by local people to this day.
Under Groneman’s supervision, excavation efforts to discover the temple area, the first records, to excavation efforts, clearing shrubs, and grouping the ruins of the temple were completed in 1885.
Completion or repair of the Prambanan Temple was resumed in 1918 under the supervision of the Antiquities Service (Oudheidkundige Dienst) led by PJ Perquin. These efforts have succeeded in reconstructing some of the ruins of the temple.
The restoration of this temple was only declared complete in 1953 after going through a long process starting from being constrained by the war to the transition of government. However, restoration is still being carried out in stages to maintain this historical heritage.
Also Read: Borobudur Temple Tour – History to Ticket Prices
Interesting Activities at Prambanan
Apart from enjoying the splendor and beauty of the temple’s charm, there are many interesting activities that you can do with your family, colleagues or partner here, including:
Photo Spot
The splendor and beauty of the unique temple architecture can be used as an interesting photo spot. Apart from that, there is also a photo object of De Geyong’s sky swing with the temple in the background which is of course so amazing. For visitors who want to try this spot, you only need to spend IDR 20,000.
Joglo House Museum
This tourist location also provides a museum containing a well-maintained collection of historical heritage objects. You can also add insight here.
Cycling and Train tours
Cycling is an alternative that you can do if you are tired of walking around the Prambanan tourist area. Bike rental rates start at IDR 20,000.
Besides bicycles, you can also take a tourist train to go around the temple area. Tourists will be charged a tariff of Rp. 10,000 for 10 to 15 minutes of walking around.
archery
For visitors who like archery or want to learn archery, you can try archery spots that are rented at a rate of IDR 20,000 for 12 arrows.
Feeding Animals
The Prambanan tourist area also has a collection of animals such as deer, peacocks, horses and birds of paradise. Visitors especially children will be happy to be able to feed these animals. This location is behind the temple area.
Art show
Visitors can watch performances of the Ramayana dance from 20.00 to 22.00 WIB. This performance is usually held on the Trimurti open stage. However, if it rains, the show will be moved to a closed stage.
Location of Prambanan Temple
For those of you who want to visit this tourist spot, the Prambanan Temple address is on Jl. Raya Solo – Yogyakarta No. 16, Kranggan, Bokoharjo, Kec. Prambanan, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta 55571.
The location of Prambanan Temple is approximately 18 km to 19 km from South Square Yogyakarta and takes approximately 40 minutes to arrive at the location point.
Prambanan Temple opening hours
Prambanan Temple opening hours start from 06.00 to 17.00 WIB. Local and foreign tourists can visit this tourist location every day.
Prambanan Temple Entrance Ticket Prices
For local tourists, the entrance ticket to Prambanan Temple is priced at IDR 50,000 per person. Meanwhile, children aged 3-10 years are charged a rate of IDR 25,000/person. However, for foreign tourists, the fees paid are different, namely $ 25 or Rp. 350,000 and $ 15 or Rp. 210,000 for foreign children aged 3-10 years.
Especially for visitors to groups of students or students who want to do field trips here, they will get a discount of 50% on the condition that there is a letter of introduction from the school/university with a minimum of 20 people.
In addition, there is also a canal package where visitors can not only visit one of the other tours, namely Borobudur, Ratu Boko, Plaosan and Sojiwan. This canal package is priced at IDR 75,000 for visitors over 10 years old and IDR 35,000 for children aged between 3-10 years.
In addition to the entrance ticket, visitors who drive will also be charged a parking fee of IDR 3,000/motorbike, IDR 10,000/private car, and IDR 15,000/tourist bus.
Facility
In addition to historical buildings, this tourist attraction also provides complete facilities that can be enjoyed by visitors, starting from prayer rooms, information boards, souvenir shops, restaurants, gazebos, large parking lots, toilets, guides, golf carts and interesting photo spots.
Hotels Near Prambanan Temple
After you are satisfied enjoying the beauty of Prambanan Temple, visitors can rest at a hotel or inn that is not far from the tourist area.
There are many choices of hotels and inns that visitors can find near the tourist area of Prambanan Temple, Jogja, with various price options and attractive facilities.
Several inns and hotels near Prambanan Temple that can be selected for overnight are Herman Homestay Prambanan, Spot On 2754 Miyagi Guesthouse, K Hotel & Hostel Prambanan, Rumah Desa Homestay, and Sumberwatu Heritage Resort.
This is information about historical tours of Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta. Hopefully the information above is useful as a reference for you and your family to spend the Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022 holidays. See you in the discussion of other exciting tourist destinations!
Also Read: Historical Tour of Sumberawan Singosari Temple & Its Location
