INDONESIA: Temple Hopping

If Cambodia has Angkor Wat, Malaysia has the Petronas Towers and Thailand has the Grand Palace, then Indonesia has Borobudur and Prambanan - the two main tourist attractions and UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Yogyakarta region. Kurt and I spent a day for each temple for a leisurely pace but it's also possible to do both in one day. We first went to Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. The towering temples reminded me of the Hindu temples in India which were laden with finely crafted images of Hindu gods. The details and intricacy of each sculpture was superbly done.

Prambanan

One of the towering temples

Notice the small images on the walls

The devil is in the details

The god is wearing a bindi 

(forehead decoration)

Around the compound

A view of the top

Right before closing time

The following day we went to the famous Borobudur which is located between twin volcanoes and two rivers. Whereas Prambanan is Hindu, Borobudur is a Buddhist temple and also a popular pilgrimage site for Buddhists. This temple houses 504 Buddha statues and about 2,500 images of Buddhist teachings such as karma and suffering to name a few. It was a treat to walk around the temple, sit on the uneven temple blocks and admire the surrounding mountains and greenery curtained by a mysterious fog. Certain parts of the temple are damaged so let your imagination conjure up the grandeur of Borobudur. This will enrich the experience ten-fold.

Borobudur

Stupa-fied

Stupa

Also famous to the locals

Making offerings

Gargoyle head is a water drain

Head was stolen and brought to Western museums

Stupas and headless Buddhas

Ohm

Prambanan and Borobudur are testaments to the presence of Hinduism and Buddhism in ancient Indonesia (Java Island). Later on, there was a Indonesian (Javanese) conversion to Islam which was brought by the maritime traders of the time. These two temples are perfect day trips while in Yogya especially for the culture-vultures and history buffs. Prepare for an impromptu photo session while you're there, the locals get a kick out of posing with foreigners.