Prambaran - detailed view

I had heard that while Indonesia is Muslim, the version is a blend of previous religious influences - Animalist, Buddhist and Hindu.  Talking with our guide about the details of Prambaran - his explaination and personality reflected all of the above wth some Christianity.

A couple of interesting comments
- Steps into the temples are steep to ensure people walked down sideways (so they didn't show backside to gods)
- Aura
-- Hindu - full body
-- Buddist - head
-- Christian - crown of head
-- Muslim - face
- Murals in stone were morality Hindu stories

Initial background with visitor info behind the fountain










One of the ever present volcanos - Indonesia has something like 140 active volcanos - one you can hike to the top - a future adventure!

Bone (stone) pile - local folks have "borrowed" lots of stone and rebuilt with it.  Seems like offering a reward for returned stone would be very economic method of recovering but I'm sure it's more complicated.

 I love this type of carviing - I bought some masks, coolie hats and a few other items but if I found carvings of this type of in wood, I would have gone broke buying them.  I'm sure they exist - I just need to look harder

This looks like a Buddha with Hindu tendancies

Very impressive, but not as impressive as the tourist literature woudl have you believe - "in the 9th century, while Europe was mired in the Dark Ages" - forgetting the Roman times and ignoring the soon to be Gothic Churches. 

All stairways have a guardian at the bottom and top who keeps out evil.  Somewhat different in Mayan - but there is a Snake protector at the bottom of all temple stairs

The appropriate parallel should be with Meso-American (Aztec, Mayan, Incan) amazing similar stone work (from my limited experience) with the Indonesian being more complicated, intricate and massive than the Meso-American.  Very impressive tongue and croove that still fits amazingly well 1200 years later

 

Both Hindu and Buddhist temples have repeating patterns - it's purely personal preference but I find the Hindu more interesting

I love the detail - up close

From a distance

Statues inside the temples
Cows - the 2nd mother? Seems animalistic more than Hindu) due to drinking milk - where most Asians are lactose intolerant?

Currator checking out the detail (in an HP cap)

I forget the explaination (help appreciated) on the Hindu three headed god (Wikipedia didn't come up with instant answer) but I really like this statue and Jessica's photos

Now going into the story mode - I forget most of it - but will comment on those I remember the guides explaination.  I'm not an expert but it seemed as if he was blending religions.  I read that the Indonesian government seized all the land without compensation for these temples but did give people guide and language training - another reason to use a guide.  After Slumdog Millionare - I'm always careful of guides knowledge.

 This one where everyone is trying to wake up this god - and he will only wake up to the smell of food - gluttony (seems more like a Buddhist theme/moral than a Hindu) but maybe there is a blend

 Ballet ampitheater - I was able to get tickets but didn't realize it until too late (only 3 days per week) so we got tickets in town (another post) - but this would have been the ticket

 Another example of shared Hindu and Buddhist culture - the upside down lotus flowers in the Hindu Temple

Notice the human birds hybrid - common in Hindu mythology - Janet and Jess got some detail at the Malaysia National Museum but since I was working  I can't relate it to you ;-(

I met an expat who has been in SE Asia for 10 years.  I asked him where to go - his answer was Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam.  I'll be going but I would add - go see these temples - truly amazing