“Special Region of Yogyakarta is one of the best tourism destinations in Southeast Asia by its characterically appealing tourism aces of nature, culture and history, religion, and so on” – Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, The Governor Special Region of Yogyakarta.
“Temples are one of our ancestors invaluable inheritance. Temples also identify characteristics of a civilization and culture. The existence of either Buddhist or Hindu temples in Yogyakarta proves that cultural acculturation really happened in the past. Special District of Yogyakarta becomes center of the civilization and cultural diversity. The existence of the temples in Yogyakarta shows how spiritual and loyal people from the past were, in order to achieve their purpose together. Without cooperation and loyalty, those invaluable masterpieces would never come true” – Sri Purnomo, The Regent of Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta.
Prambanan Temple is located in Prambanan village which allegedly came from the name of “Para Brahman (The Brahman)”, referring to the heyday of the temple that was formerly full of The Brahmana. As a great temple of Mataram Kingdom, Prambanan became a place for conducting royal ceremonies at that time. Conceive how hundreds of monks of Brahmana along with their disciples gathered in the outer court of the temple to study the Vedas and perform rituals and ceremonies of Hindu.
According to the inscription of Shivargha, the real name of Prambanan Temple is Shivargha which means the house of Shiva and it shows that, in garbagriha (the main hall) of the temple, there is a 3 meter tall statue of Shiva, the Supreme God, which indicates an important role of Him. The construction of this temple complex mimics Mahameru, the holy mount where Gods resided. The entire complex of the temple follows the model of the universe according to the concept of Hindu cosmology as it was divided into some layers of realm, nature, or shops, while the architecture is guided by the traditions of Hindu architecture based on the book of Vastu Sastra.
In fact, Prambanan Temple is the biggest Hindu temple in Indonesia as well as one of the most beautiful temples in Southeast Asia, declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The main temple is Shiva temple whose height is 47 meters protruding among the smaller ones.