The Parambanan Shiva Temple Group, located in Central Java, is the largest and largest Hindu temple group in Indonesia. This group of temples is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. This temple is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Parambanan Temple is a center of tourist attraction from all over the world. In the temple complex, there are hundreds of huge piles of black colored squares, rectangular and sculpted in various shapes, strong and colossal stones, which indicate the presence of a huge temple complex of the ninth century AD. The bases of the original temples are buried under these piles of stones. This temple group was destroyed during a powerful earthquake.
The Parambanan Shiva temple complex was built in the ninth century AD. A total of 240 temples were built at that time, of which three temples located in the central part are called Trimurti temples and are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. In front of these Trimurti buildings are the temples of the vehicles of these deities i.e. Nandi, Garuda and Hans. Between the Trimurti temples and the Vahana temples, there is an apit temple on the north and south sides. In the inner area of the four main gates of these temples, there is one Kelir temple in the four directions and one Patok temple at the four corners. The ruins of a total of 224 temples are located in four rows around the main temple plan. Thus, a total of 240 temples were located here, but in the 16th century AD, these temples fell due to a strong earthquake. These temples remained in ruins for about 400 years.
Competition between Buddhism and Shaivism
Many Hindu princes from India established small kingdoms on different areas of the island of Java. In the 7th-8th century AD, the descendants of the Sanjaya dynasty ruled the Central Java region. This dynasty was originally a follower of Hinduism but later became a follower of Buddhism at some point in time. In the eighth century AD, the kings of the Shailendra dynasty overthrew the rulers of the Sanjaya dynasty and pushed them beyond Central Java and established the kingdom of Medang. The Sanjaya dynasty began to rule over East Java. The kings of the Shailendra dynasty were also followers of Mahayana Buddhism. He built the huge and high-rise Mahayana Buddhist temples of Borobudur and Sevu. The kings of the Shailendra dynasty ruled Central Java for almost a century.
Glory to Hinduism and the construction of the temple
In the ninth century AD, once again the Shailendra dynasty declined and in their place again the rise of the Sanjay dynasty and they established the state of Mataram. By this time the kings of this dynasty had again accepted Shaiv-Hinduism. Therefore, around AD 850, Raja Rakai Pictan, the Sanjaya dynasty of Mataram kingdom, started building this temple group as a victory for Hinduism, so that the rulers of the Shailendra dynasty could be answered through the construction of huge temples in their own language. Can you According to historians, the construction of these temples was a declaration that the Mataram kingdom (Medang kingdom) in Central Java now converted from Buddhist-Mahayana religion to Hindu-Shaivism.
Rakai Pictan's successor kings- Lokpal and Balitung Mahashambhu continued the construction of temples. According to the Shivgarh inscription of AD 856, this temple was originally dedicated to Lord Shiva and the original name of this temple was Shivgarh. A river called Opak used to flow in the ninth century AD just near the place where this temple complex is located today. The river was diverted to secure the temple. Now this river is to the west of the temple and flows from north to south. The idol of Lord Shiva was established by King Balitung. After this, all the religious events of the royal family started taking place in this temple. The temple was also expanded by Balitung's successor kings- Daksha and Tulodong. During that period, hundreds of Brahmin families used to reside in the outer area of this temple.
Demolition of the Temple
Sometime after AD 930, a king named Mapu Sindok established the Isyana dynasty in Java and moved the capital of Java from Central Java to East Java. This was done due to the activation of a volcano in Mount Merapi, north of Parambanan. After the removal of the kingdom, the disintegration of the temple started. Yet it remained the main center of faith of the Hindu subjects. In a terrible earthquake in the sixteenth century, all the temples of this temple group fell to the ground. In AD 1755, the Mataram kingdom was divided and it was divided into Yogyakarta (Jogja) and Surakarta (Solo) kingdoms. The border of these two states used to end at this temple. Those states are now identified as Yogyakarta and Central Java.
Temple Restoration Tour
When the Dutch came to this island, in AD 1811 their sight fell on the ruins of this temple group. He dug this temple even more in the lust of treasure. Later the whole area was surveyed by the Dutch people. Then it was found that the people of the surrounding used to pick up the stones of these temples and put them on the foundations of their houses and used to do the masonry of the houses. In AD 1918, the Dutch people started rebuilding these temples. Restoration work accelerated in AD 1930 and this work continues even today.
The task of rebuilding the temples was not an easy one. Most of the ornate stones were taken to remote areas and used for building construction. In such a situation, the government decided that only those temples will be rebuilt, whose material is available at least 75 percent and for which any design, picture or map is available. Markets and human settlements that stood around it were relocated to rebuild the temple.
Construction of stadiums for the staging of Ram Katha
Open air and indoor stadiums were constructed in the temple premises on the banks of river Opak so that Ram Katha could be staged there. Ramakatha dance dramas have been staged for thousands of years on the island of Java. Those various dance dramas were traced and brought back to these stadiums. When these plays are staged in the light of Chandra Jyotsna, tourists from all over the world are left spellbound. Hindu festivals such as Galungan, Tavur Kesanga and Nayepi, etc., are frequented by Hindu devotees in this temple complex. During that time many teams stage Ram Kathas.
Inauguration of Shiva Temple by Sunni Muslim
In AD 1953, the restoration work of the main Shiva temple was completed. The first President of Indonesia, Sukarno, who was a Muslim of the Sunni branch of Islam, inaugurated this temple. By this time, 80 percent of Java's population was Sunni Muslims, but they had no hesitation in rebuilding this Hindu temple, inaugurating it and opening its doors to tourists from all over the world. It had revived its cultural heritage lost hundreds of years ago. In India, where 80 percent of the Hindu population resides, the temples of Shri Krishna Janma Bhoomi Mathura, Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Ayodhya and Vishwanath Temple Kashi have been made the arena of politics, by doing politics on these temples, some political parties belong to Muslims and some Political parties get votes of Hindus. I was reminded of Sardar Patel in Java who got the temple of Somnath rebuilt by defeating the secular intentions of Jawaharlal Nehru. Otherwise his condition today would have been similar to the temples of Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi Vishwanath.
Earthquake damage again in 2006
It was only about 53 years since the temple was opened that in the year 2006, there was a strong earthquake again in Central Java. The temple was again damaged and the Archaeology Department of Indonesia renovated the temple to make it safe for visitors. During this the temple remained closed for several months.
Reconstruction of sixteen main temples and two minor temples
In the year 2009, the reconstruction work of Nandi temple was completed and it was opened to the visitors. This temple is situated just opposite to the main temple of Lord Shiva. After this the temples were rebuilt one by one and they were opened for the visitors. Presently the reconstruction of all the 8 main temples and all the 8 minor temples in the inner core area has been completed. Out of 224 Perwara temples in the outer region, only 2 temples could be reconstructed.
Declared Parambanan Century in the year 2010
In 2010, the Indonesian government declared the Parambanan Sanctuary, encompassing all areas of the Parambanan, Ratu Boko, Kalasan, Sari and Plaosan temples. This century is situated in an area of 30 square kilometer.
Faced with volcanic ash in the year 2014
Not even eight years had elapsed since the reopening of the Parambanan Shiva temple, on February 13, 2014, the Kelud volcano, located 200 km east of Yogyakarta, erupted, whose explosion was heard up to two kilometers away. A large amount of black and hot ash emanating from this volcano also came to these temples and caused heavy damage to these temples. Due to this, all the surrounding temples including this temple were closed for devotees, visitors and tourists. It was reopened several days later, only after the ashes were removed.
Story of Rara Jonggrang
Parambanan Shiva Temple is called Rara Jonggrang Temple of Java Island. Rara Jonggrang means thin maiden. According to a legend from the island of Java, once upon a time there were two kingdoms named Penging and Boko on the island of Java. Penging kingdom was a prosperous and prosperous kingdom which was ruled by King Prabu Damar Moyo who had a son named Bandung Bondowoso. Boko kingdom was ruled by the anthropomorphic cruel demon Prabu Boko. One of his associates, a demon named Patih Guppolo, was also very cruel.
Prabu Boko's daughter Rara Jongrang was very beautiful. Prabu Boko wanted to expand his kingdom by conquering the Penging kingdom. So he built a huge army. One day suddenly his armies attacked the kingdom of Penging. Prince Bandung Bondowoso of Penging took his army and went to fight against that demon king. After a terrible battle, Prince Bandung Bondowoso killed the demon king Prabu Boko with his mysterious powers. Prabu Boko's ally, the demon Patih Gupolo, fled the battlefield with the remaining army. He reached Boko, the capital of the dead king, and went to the palace to inform Princess Rara Jongrag that her father had died in the battle. At the same time Penging's army arrived and they occupied the capital of the Mritraja and his palace.
When Prince Bandung Bondowoso saw Prince Roro Jonggrag, he was fascinated by him. He proposed marriage to the princess but the princess refused to marry. When the prince repeatedly insisted on the princess, the princess placed two conditions before the prince. The first is that he will have to build a huge well named Jaltund and the second condition is that the prince will have to build 1000 temples in one night on the strength of his powers. The prince accepted both the conditions and immediately started building a well. The prince soon dug the well on the strength of his divine powers and called the princess to see the well. The princess asked the prince to come down in the well and show him.
When the prince landed in the well, the demon Patih Gupolo, the companion of the princess's father, closed the well with mud and stones. With great difficulty the prince could get her out of the well. Even after this deception, the prince's love for the princess did not diminish. Now the princess asked the prince to fulfill the second condition.
The prince invoked the divine spirits who helped him. When those souls had built the 999 temple and started building the 1000th temple, the princess with the help of her demon companions lit a terrible fire in the rice fields and straw in the east, due to which the souls building the temple felt that the sun had come out and They left work and entered the earth again. Thus the one thousandth temple remained incomplete. When the prince came to know about this deceit, he cursed Princess Jonggrang to turn into a stone idol. The princess immediately turned into a stone idol and the prince completed the construction of the unfinished temple and installed the idol there. The same idol is now worshiped as Durga, which is called Rara Jonggrang by the local people. This idol is installed in the north cell of Shiva temple.
Planning of the main temples of Parambanan complex
The entire temple complex is spread over an area of about 17 square kilometres. In the central part of the temple complex, mainly separate temples of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh are situated. The faces of the three deities are facing east. In front of each main temple facing west, there is a temple related to the same deity which is dedicated to the vehicles of the three deities. ब्रह्मा मंदिर के सामने हंस का, विष्णु मंदिर के सामने गरुड़ का और शिव मंदिर के सामने नन्दी का मंदिर स्थित है।
शिव मंदिर बहुत बड़ा और सुंदर है। यह मंदिर तीनों प्रमुख मंदिरों के मध्य में है। शिव मंदिर के उत्तर में भगवान विष्णु का और दक्षिण में भगवान ब्रह्मा का मंदिर है। यूनेस्को ने इस मंदिर को विश्व धरोहर के रूप में संरक्षित किया है। रोरो जोंग्गरंग मंदिर या परमबनन मंदिर दुनिया भर के हिंदुओं के साथ-साथ, स्थानीय लोगों के लिए भी भक्ति एवं अध्यात्म का महत्वपूर्ण केन्द्र है।
परमबनन परिसर के मुख्य मंदिरों की प्रतिमाएं
परमबनन परिसर का मुख्य मंदिर अर्थात् शिव मंदिर 47 मीटर ऊंचा है तथा आधार पर 34 मीटर लम्बा एवं 34 मीटर चौड़ा है। मंदिर के पूर्व में बनी सीढ़ियों से होकर ऊपर जाया जाता है जहाँ एक के बाद एक करके चारों ओर कुल चार कक्ष बने हुए हैं जिनमें से पूर्व दिशा की ओर के मुख्य कक्ष में भगवान शिव की प्रतिमा खड़ी है। उत्तर की तरफ वाले कक्ष में महिषासुर मर्दिनी दुर्गा प्रतिमा है। एक कक्ष में भगवान गणेश एवं एक कक्ष में अगस्त्य ऋषि की प्रतिमा है। ब्रह्मा मंदिर में केवल एक ही कक्ष है जिसमें केवल ब्रह्मा की प्रतिमा है। इसी प्रकार विष्णु मंदिर में भी केवल एक कक्ष है जिसमें केवल भगवान विष्णु की प्रतिमा स्थापित है।
श्रीराम कथा प्रसंगों की अद्भुत प्रतिमाएं
मुख्य मंदिरों के पूजा कक्षों की बाहरी दीवारों पर प्रदक्षिणा अथवा परिक्रमा करने के पथ बने हुए हैं। इन प्रदक्षिणा पथों के दोनों ओर की दीवारों पर रामकथा एवं श्रीकृष्ण लीला के प्रसंगों की प्रतिमाएं उत्कीर्ण की गई हैं। रामकथा प्रसंग के मूर्ति फलक शिव मंदिर से आरम्भ होते हैं तथा ब्रह्मा मंदिर में जाकर पूर्ण होते हैं। इन दीवारों पर लोकपालों एवं विविध देवताओं की प्रतिमाएं भी उत्कीर्ण हैं। राक्षसों द्वारा ऋषियों का उत्पीड़न, रावण द्वारा सीता का हरण, जटायु द्वारा सीता को बचाने की चेष्टा, भगवान द्वारा मारीच का वध, रावण द्वारा कैलास पर्वत को उठाने के दृश्य बहुत सुंदर बन पड़े हैं। एक पैनल में अशोक वाटिका में सीता माता के समक्ष हनुमानजी द्वारा रामकथा के निवेदन का बड़ा ही जीवन्त दृश्य अंकित किया गया है इस चित्र में माता सीता और हनुमानजी के चेहरे के भाव एवं मुद्राएं इतनी भाव प्रवण बनाई गई हैं कि संसार में इस दृश्य का ऐसा अद्भुत अंकन शायद ही कहीं और हुआ हो। यह बीच में से एक टूटा हुआ पैनल है किंतु सौभाग्य से दोनों चेहरे पूरी तरह सुरक्षित हैं। जीर्णोद्धार के दौरान इस पैनल को फिर से जोड़कर खड़ा किया गया है।
भागवत पुराण के प्रसंगों का अंकन
हिंदू धर्मावलम्बियों के लिए परमबनन मंदिर आस्था का केंद्र है। परमबनन मंदिर इतना सुंदर है की इसकी बनावट किसी को भी अपने मोहपाश में बांध ले। मंदिर की दीवारों पर रामकथा के प्रसंग मूर्तियों के रूप में अंकित हैं। विष्णु मंदिर के परिक्रमा पथ में भागवत पुराण के आधार पर श्रीकृष्ण लीला के प्रसंग शिलापट्टों पर उत्कीर्ण हैं। बाल कृष्ण की लीलाओं के अंकन को देखकर दर्शक सम्मोहित सा खड़ा रह जाता है। भगवान श्रीकृष्ण द्वारा कंस का वध और कृष्ण-बलराम द्वारा कालिय वध के प्रसंग इतने सुंदर बने हुए हैं जिन्हें देखकर दर्शक, मूर्तिकारों की समझ और कला के प्रति अभिभूत हुए बिना नहीं रह सकता।
कमल-पुष्प पर मानव खोपड़ी
पास में ही एक शिव प्रतिमा है जिसमें शिव ध्यानस्थ हैं। उनके दाहनी ओर बहुत सुंदर त्रिशूल खड़ा हुआ है और बाईं ओर कमल नाल पर लगे पुष्प के ऊपर एक खोपड़ी रखी हुई दिखाई दे रही है। भगवान के शरीर पर विविध प्रकार के आभूषण एवं अलंकरण सुशोभित हैं। भगवान के हाथों में रुद्राक्ष की माला है किंतु आश्चर्य की बात यह है कि इस प्रतिमा में कोई सर्प दिखाई नहीं दे रहा है।
पशु-पक्षियों एवं कल्पतरू का अंकन
इन मंदिरों की बाहरी दीवारों की ताकों में सिंह, हिरण, खरगोश, बिल्ली आदि का अंकन है। साथ ही तोते, मोर, हंस, लोकपाल, अप्सराएं एवं अन्य मूर्तियां उत्कीर्ण हैं। एक ताक में हंस अपनी चोंच लम्बी करके पानी पीने का प्रयास कर रहा है।
एक ताक में दो मादा तोते बैठे हैं जिनके मुंह के स्थान पर स्त्रियों के सुंदर चेहरे बने हुए हैं जिन्होंने विविध प्रकार के आभूषण एवं मुकुट धारण कर रखे हैं। एक अन्य ताक में एक मादा तोता तथा एक नर तोता बैठे हुए हैं जिनमें मुंह के स्थान पर नर एवं नारी के मुख बने हुए हैं। मादा तोते में मानवीय आकृति का समावेश करते हुए स्तन भी बनाए गए हैं।
परग्रही प्राणी जैसे गरुड़
शिव मंदिर के बाहर के प्रदक्षिणा पथ में एक प्रतिमा में भगावान विष्णु की सेवा में गरुड़ विराजमान हैं, गरुड़ का सिर अपेक्षाकृत लम्बा बनाया गया है जिसे देखकर मिश्र देश के उन लम्बी खोपड़ियों वाले देवताओं का स्मरण होता है जिनके लिए माना जाता है कि ये परग्रही मानव थे और दूसरे लोक से धरती पर आए थे। गरुड़ के सिर पर जटाओं एवं उनसे बंधे हुए जूड़े का भी अंकन किया गया है। गरुड़ के नीचे जल में तैरती हुई मछलियां दिखाई गई हैं जिनसे ज्ञात होता है कि भगवान विष्णु इस समय क्षीर सागर में विश्राम कर रहे हैं, गरुड़ उनकी सेवा में हैं तथा हाथों में कमल पुष्प सुशोभित है।