Prambanan is a 9th Century Hindu temple complex located 17km north-east of Yogyakarta city and is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia.

The complex consists of a number of temples divided into 3 zones; the first - or outer - zone is mostly open space where the priests of the temple likely meditated/relaxed, the second - or middle - zone contains 224 guardian temples which are mostly in ruins and the third - or inner zone - contains 8 temples and 8 shrines with the largest known as the Shiva temple.

Somewhat mirroring the fate of Borobudur the Prambanan temple complex fell into disuse shortly after 930AD and collapsed during a major earthquake that hit the region in the 16th Century.

The temple complex was officially rediscovered in 1811 by the British (although the site had been known to Javanese local villagers prior to this time) but it would be almost a century before reconstruction of the compound would commence in 1918 and be completed in 1930 thanks to the intervention of the Dutch (who were occupying Indonesia during that period).

As much of the original stonework had been stolen over the centuries restoration of the temple complex was significantly hampered and there are many smaller sites within the grounds of Prambanan that have yet to be rebuilt.

This was further complicated by the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake which hit the Pramabanan temple complex resulting in the closure of the site for a number of weeks while archaeological conservation experts worked to assess the scale of the damage. I am led to believe that restoration work is still being undertaken to this day, some 13 years later, to repair that damage.

As I had purchased a combined ticket earlier in the day for Borobudur and Prambanan I arrived at the temple complex as my final destination on the day’s itinerary after starting the early morning with a visit to Borobudur followed by a number of smaller temples afterwards (Pawon, Mendut and Sambisari).

I think it was around 5PM when I arrived and not only was the temple complex predictably busy with tourists but the sun was blazing hot too. Even with suncream with SPF 75 lathered over my arms, face and neck I could still feel my skin burning. The asian sun is no joke and I have to wonder how prevalent skin cancer is in this part of the world with heat like that on an almost daily basis.

The first thing I noticed about the Prambanan complex were the many square piles of the remains of smaller temples that were arranged at regular intervals in the middle zone outside the perimeter of the temple walls. It was a little saddening to see the remainder of the complex in such a sorry state but what more can the Indonesian Government/archaeologists do when so much of the original stonework for those smaller temples has been stolen and lost over the centuries?

I don’t know what the answer is (or if there is even an answer) but it seems somehow ‘wrong’ to see that history neglected and the remaining temple structures not rebuilt.

The second thing I noticed was just how dusty the grounds of the temple complex were which made me thankful that I had brought with me and was wearing my airinium mask (which has become a de-facto part of my outdoor ‘clothing’ given the ridiculous level of air pollution in Indonesia as a whole - beautiful country, great people but awful air quality sadly).

I hate to think what that dust must have been doing to the lungs of many visitors who were walking around with no respiratory protection, particularly with the wind persistently whipping up clouds of dust and spreading those particles far and wide.

The temples within the walls of the Prambanan complex were quite imposing although I felt somewhat austere and cold; particularly the Shiva tower with its grand size and dominating scale.

I unfortunately didn’t have the time to visit the remaining temples connected with the Prambanan complex which were situated a moderate walking distance away (I think it was a 15 minute walk to reach the first of the 3 smaller temples).

For some reason, and I don’t know if it was fatigue from the day’s travels (having visited 4 temples and 1 monastery on roughly 4 hours sleep) or feeling pressured to see as much of the site as possible before my booked time with the driver expired, but I didn’t feel the love for Prambanan.

Something about the temple complex left me feeling uneasy and quite unsafe while I was there - which I can’t rationally explain. I think this feeling was only exacerbated by the narrow, steep steps (as well as the low stone doorways - which my forehead regrettably connected with on a couple of occasions....it's not an experience I would recommend) of the different towers within the temple complex. I found navigating the towers that I visited a little challenging due to that lack of space - which wasn’t aided by the volume of other visitors there who were also trying to see as much of the site as they could.

Honestly I’m not sure what it was about the site but I really didn’t take to Prambanan. There was a feel, a vibe to the place which just didn’t resonate with me - make of that what you will. I can’t explain it but it went a lot deeper than the possible causal factors I’ve mentioned previously. As a result I was quite relieved to finish my visit after 45 minutes or so and make my way back to the taxi. As impressive and interesting as the Hinduist temple architecture of that location was there was something ‘off’ about the place that I did not feel nor sense in any of the other temple locations that I visited in Yogyakarta.

Like I stated earlier, make of that what you will.

If nothing else I got to visit a site of historical and cultural significance, take in the sight of the imposing Hinduist architecture and came out with some cool photographs - it’s all about the experience right?

Getting there

There are a number of ways to get to Prambanan including organised tour packages, using GoCar/Gojek (or similar), driving with local friends (if you are fortunate to have any) or hiring a private driver (if you plan on spending a day visiting a number of temples within the Yogyakarta region such as Borobudur, Mendut, Plaosan and Sambisari for example).

My personal favourite is hiring a private driver for the day and, as many of you will know from related Yogyakarta travel articles that I've written, I can happily recommend the services of a gentleman by the name of Subardi (who can be reached on +62 8564 3866 759 if you're interested in booking his services for a day).