Restoration Continues in the Prambanan Temple Area

from Indonesiana Vol. 11 The Charms of Indonesian Culture

Correspondence Memory: Kring… Kring Pos

Restoration Continues in the

prambanan temple area

It was a hot early April 2021 afternoon at Loro Jonggrang Prambanan Temple. However, we were still excited to visit the temple complex located in

Karangasem Hamlet, Bokoharjo Village,

Prambanan District, Sleman, Yogyakarta

Special Region. The Corona pandemic has indeed curbed the desire of many people to travel, but once in a while, it is okay to refresh the mind. During the Covid-19 pandemic, tourist destinations were closed, but recently they have started to reopen with restrictions, for example, visitors are not allowed to enter temple booths because these visitors could then be bumping into each other.

Several workers looked busy in the courtyard of the second temple. “We are doing a trial arrangement, by grouping it per building. This work is part of the restoration of the temple,” said Prasetyo Edi, a staff member of the Yogyakarta Cultural Heritage Preservation Center, when we met him around Loro Jonggrang.

If someone asks, “How long will it take to restore the temple?”. The answer would be that restoration is a long-term job. Therefore, the restoration programme must be scheduled and budgeted every year, for the sake of cultural conservation as well. “For the restoration of the temple, first a technical study must be done which normally take five months. Then the experiments are grouped per building. Trial rearrangement is done in layers. First the foundation, then monument one, monument two, roof one, roof two,” explained Edi. “After the foundation parts matched, then we started to try to arrange the body parts of the temple. If the old stone needed has not been obtained, it can be replaced with other stones, as long as it is plain white. The officer will mark the new one with a lead,” continued Edi. Due to the Corona pandemic, physical activities were cancelled in 2020 and started again in 2021. The first yard fence was restored after Lebaran, after that the works continue to the entrance to the south side.

First discovered by a Dutch citizen, C.A. Lons, in 1733, this temple has been designated a World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee Number C.642 in 1991 under the name Prambanan Temple Compounds. The Prambanan Temple Complex, also known as the Loro Jonggrang Temple, is divided into three concentric (central) courtyards, connected by gates located on all four sides.

The outer courtyard of Prambanan Temple is surrounded by a fence measuring 390x390 metres. The middle yard is surrounded by a fence measuring 220x220 metres. On the second page, there are 224 perwara temples which are arranged into four rows that get deeper and higher. The first row has 68 pieces, the second row has 60 pieces, the third row has 52 pieces, and the fourth row has 44 pieces.

Inside the central courtyard, which is surrounded by a fence measuring 110x110 metres, there are 16 temple buildings spread over eight plots: 1. Shiva Temple as the main temple, 2. Brahma Temple, 3. Vishnu Temple, 4. Nandi Temple, 5. Garuda and Angsa Temple, 6. Apit Temple (2 buildings), 7. Kelir Temple (4 buildings), 8. Angle Temple (4 buildings).

After circling several temples in Loro Jonggrang, we continued our journey to Candi Ijo, the highest temple in DIY, located in Sambirejo Village, Prambanan, Sleman. Arriving at the temple whose landscape is terraced and surrounded by cliffs, we immediately climbed the stairs to the main temple on the top terrace. We were greeted by Polsus Didik Windarto and technicians Margono and Sularto, who that day were in charge of guarding Ijo Temple.

In the temple complex, which was first discovered by H.E. Dorrepaal in 188, there are 17 structures located on 11 terraces. The main temple on the top terrace measures 1843x1843 centimetres and is 1600 centimetres high. Inside the main temple, there is a chamber containing the Linga-Yoni which symbolises Lord Shiva who is united with Goddess Parvati. In front of the main temple, three perwara temples are facing east.

The sun is getting lower towards the west, although the heat has not gone away. Enough of the temple tour this time. No need to look at everything closely. Sometimes something needs to be looked at from a distance so that we can perceive beauty and mystery differently