Watch a Javanese legend come to life at Prambanan Temple

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and was constructed in the 9th century. This edifice was dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma). 

Prambanan Temple itself is a complex consisting of 240 temples. They are adorned with panels of narrative bas-relief recounting the story of the Hindu epics Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana. Since it was built using typical Hindu architecture, it is characterised by tall and pointed tip structures with the tallest one at 47 metres. 

 

One of the statues inside Shiva temple is Durga Mahisasuramardini. It depicts Durga as the slayer of the Bull demon and this shrine is also called the temple of Roro Jonggrang – which means slender virgin in Javanese. It was named after a Javanese legend of Princess Roro Jonggrang. 

 

From 2019 onwards, we can watch a dance performance portraying the legend of Roro Jonggrang in Prambanan. The show was created by a team from Ramayana Ballet, a popular Javanese dance performance about Ramayana. I watched Ramayana previously and enjoyed it very much, so I was excited to watch Roro Jonggrang for the first time.

 

The story is about Bandung, who fell in love with a beautiful princess named Roro Jonggrang. However, after Roro Jonggrang discovered that Bandung had murdered her father, she asked him to build 1,000 temples in one night if he wanted to wed her. In the end, Roro Jonggrang was cursed to become a statue – which is Durga in Prambanan Temple. 

 

Unlike Ramayana Ballet, The Legend of Roro Jonggrang has a modern twist and is tailored mostly for a younger audience. It is a performance of classical Javanese dance combined with contemporary dance, upbeat music and an interactive laser show. At present, the one-hour “The Legend of Roro Jonggrang” and one-hour “Ramayana Ballet” are performed alternately in Prambanan. Check out their website to get the exact schedule.