Java's Buddhist and Hindu icons - October 9, 2007

Indonesia is often referred to as the world's most populous Muslim nation, but just outside Yogyakarta in central Java, two of the country's most stunning temples -- Borobodur and Prambanan -- point to its illustrious Buddhist and Hindu past. Considered among the world's greatest religious monuments, it is no surprise they are also Indonesia's most popular tourist attractions.

My first stop was the Buddhist temple of Borobodur. As I walked through the parking lot and through the landscaped grounds, I could feel my anticipation grow as I peered through the trees that temporarily obscured the temple. Then, I turned a corner, and there it was -- looming out of the surrounding rice fields and palms was nine stories of rectangular and circular terraces, an enormous structure that was once the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java in the 8th century AD.



Built from 2 million block lava stones, the sheer size was impressive enough. But as I got closer, I could see thousands of exquisitely carved bas-reliefs and statues -- elephants and lions, musicians and dancers, kings and peasants -- along the walls as well as hundreds of Buddha images (with their heads missing) sitting in latticed stupas. I could only imagine the number of workers and the hours of labour required to create this masterpiece!



I then headed off to the other side of Yogyakarta to visit the Hindu temple of Prambanan. I think my mouth gaped a bit as as I walked up to the eight shrines dedicated to the three Hindu gods - Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.



Standing 50 metres high and covered in beautifully carved balustrades and sculptures, this complex is quite simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, in May 2006, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale almost completely destroyed Prambanan and restoration experts are still repairing the damage. We were able to walk around the outside perimeter but we were not allowed to enter the shrines; I could still see pieces of stone teetering at the tops of the shrines so it was still quite dangerous.

Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed, but a few days later, I returned to Prambanan to watch the famous Ramayana ballet at an open-air theatre. With the towers lit in the background, it was the perfect setting to watch 200 dancers in beautiful costumes re-enact the scenes of this ancient Hindu legend.