Indonesia, in my book, would likely not receive any awards for containing the world's most spectacular sights...until today. Prambanan is a series of Hindu temples dating back to the 9th century. Yesterday I debated going to Borobudur but my time is short and Prambanan is more accessible. Upon exiting the bus I coul see the temples from the street and could immediately tell this is a sight like nowhere else in Indonesia (or even the world). Admission is $18 (US) and rather high by Indonesian standards. It would have cost half that if I were a student. The Shiva temple is the tallest and originally there were 240 temples surrounding the larger ones but many deteriorated and some of them were heavily damaged during the 2006 Java earthquake. From some angles the temples look like a series of drill bits.
From other angles and with the statues they look like a spooky-looking manor in a horror film. The architecture is very different between the temple complexes; this is due to that this is the Sewu complex. These temples date to the 8th century and are Mahayana Buddhist temples.
There are two other Buddist complexes within the grounds but they aren't nearly as spectacular as the others. With the lighting and the position of accessible areas within the temple grounds I found it difficult to get good photos. It wasn't until I went around to the other side. Finally I've found a standout beautiful sight in Indonesia. Jogja is a wonderful city that's a breath of fresh air, but Prambanan is a gorgeous set of temples that could easily be thought of as Angkor Wat 25 years ago.
