Indonesia > Prambanan: Temple of Shiva

Today I leave Yogyakarta. I drive out of the city toward the Hindu Prambanan Temple. This temple, from the same period as Borobudur, is located 18 kilometers from Yogya. The temple was severely damaged during the 2006 earthquake. The main temple, dedicated to the god Shiva, largely collapsed at that time. The restoration took years and was only fully completed last year. My first glimpse of the temple is already amazing. The typically Hindu carved towers stand out beautifully against the clear blue sky. A real pleasure to see. I follow the guide through the complex.

Indonesia - The Hindu Prambanan temple

He explains that there are three main towers: one for Shiva, one for Vishnu, and one for Brahma. In the past, over two hundred smaller temples surrounded the complex. These have been lost, but two have been restored. I can hardly imagine what the complex must have looked like with all those small temples around it. I walk to the main temple and climb the steep stone stairs. Inside stands the statue of four-armed Shiva. Walking around outside the temple, I notice that each side has a staircase leading to a room, each housing a statue of a god. I also visit the nearby Vishnu temple, which contains a statue of Ganesha with an elephant head. I am impressed by the Prambanan temples. In my opinion, Borobudur is unfairly the only one mentioned as a world wonder—this temple deserves the title just as much. Just outside the complex lies the Buddhist Sewu Temple. I take a small train to reach it. Restoration work is still ongoing here as well. I don’t have enough time to explore the temple itself, so I take a photo and return by train to the exit. I say goodbye to Prambanan and continue eastward. In a few hours, I drive to Java’s second-largest city, Solo. Just past Solo, I enter the mountains. At a spa resort, a lunch buffet is ready. The complex looks luxurious. In the lower part, I see the swimming pool. In my opinion, it’s all a bit too luxurious and not very local. After lunch, I transfer to a small Toyota minibus that takes me further up into the mountains.

Indonesia - View of the lowerlying rice fields

The road climbs steeply. I estimate the gradient in some places exceeds twenty percent. At 1,100 meters above sea level lies the temple of Candi Sukuh. At first, this temple reminds me of Inca and Mayan temples. However, it is actually a Hindu temple. Notable are the erotic stone carvings, including a statue of a masturbating man. A little further along is a waterfall. I descend a zigzag path to the bottom, where there is a recreation area. Children play in the pool, others in the playground. I follow the sound of the waterfall. After a few hundred meters, I see the water cascading down. Following the example of local tourists, I have my photo taken with the waterfall in the background. From the waterfall, I take a walk through the mountainous landscape. The path alternates between steep ascents and steep descents. The motorcycles passing by have no trouble with the steepness. I take it easy. In the valley, I overlook rice fields. The terraces lie beautifully along the mountainside—a stunning sight as the sun sinks lower and lower. Twilight sets in as I approach the village of Tawangmangu. The setting sun colors the Marapi volcano on the horizon orange. I pause to enjoy the view. It is already dark when I arrive at the hotel in Tawangmangu. Due to the higher altitude, it feels a bit chilly. I have a spacious room with multiple beds. Other travelers were less lucky. Some rooms have no sink, no working shower, or are not clean. Since the hotel has no restaurant, I go elsewhere in the village to eat. Another buffet. The quality is somewhat disappointing, and the food is already cold. The beer I ordered still needs to be bought, so it isn’t cold. My beer ends up being placed in the freezer among the ice cream for half an hour.