Legend and Myths of Prambanan Temple: Bandung Bondowoso and Roro Jonggrang

Prambanan temple known as a thousand temples, just another famous temple with Borobudur temple. A legend said that the Prambanan temple built only in one night.  Bandung Bondowoso built this temple as a purposed to marry Roro Jonggrang. Nowadays, Bondowoso was known as a regency in East Java.

Near Yogyakarta, there is a most beautiful Hinduism temple in Indonesia. The temple built in 9th A.D. The temple located in Prambanan village, thus this temple called as Prambanan temple.

There is also a famous temple called Roro Jonggrang temple. The name of the temple was from the story of Roro Jonggrang and Bandung Bondowoso.

The Legend of Pambanan Temple, Roron Jongrang, Bondowoso (image: timur-angin.com)

A long time ago, there was a Kingdom called Prambanan. This kingdom placed where the Prambanan Temple stands now. This nation led by Prabu Baka. Roro Jonggrang (means Slender Maiden) was the princess of the kingdom.

The people of Prambanan Kingdom were wealthy and lived in peace. This made the neighboured Pengging Kingdom envious. He tried to attack the Prambanan Kingdom. By the support from Bondowoso, the Prambanan Kingdom defeated. Then the King killed.

Bondowoso became the new King in Prambanan. Bondowoso was a strong man. The King is known as Bandung Bondowoso. He has a powerful weapon. This weapon called 'Bandung.'

It turned into a love story because Bandung Bondowoso had a crush on Roro Jonggrang and proposed to her. It was hard for her to accept or reject Bandung Bondowoso's love.

To avoid more violence, Roro Jonggrang commanded Bandung Bondowoso to build a thousand temples. A thousand temple with two deep wells in one night.

If Bandung Bondowoso could fill the command, Roro Jonggrang would accept Bondowoso's love. It seemed to be an impossible command. But Bandung Bondowoso accepted it.

Bandung Bondowoso tried to find some help from his father. His dad is a man with a supernatural power. His Bondowoso's father had a lot of supernatural armies.

Bondowoso tried to perform the task supported by the supernatural armies from his father.

When the day came, Bandung Bondowoso and his ghostly soldiers began to build the temples. They worked so fast, and after 4 o'clock in the morning, there were only five temples, which hadn't built. Besides that, the wells were almost finished.

Roro Jonggrang found out that Bandung Bondowoso almost made it. She felt confuse and tried to find the way to make those efforts failed.

Roro Jonggrang ordered the women to pound the Rice-mother. She also asked awake the roosters to announce the dawn early.

Bandung Bondowoso's armies deceived by the false dawn and they ran out. There was only one temple left, which should build by Bandung Bondowoso. Bandung Bondowoso couldn't finish it alone without help from his supernatural armies.

In the next morning, Bandung Bondowoso found his effort had failed. He enraged and frustrated. He wooed the women around Prambanan that there was no one would marry them. He also wooed Roro Jonggrang became a statue.

According to the tale, Roro Jonggrang remains in the northern chamber of the Prambanan Temple.  Roro Jonggrang remains like a statue of Shiva's consort, Durga. Until now, the place where she stays called Roro Jonggrang temple. The temples that built by Bandung Bondowoso are now called Sewu Temple or Seribu Candi (The Thousand Temples).

Central Java Java Legends and Myths

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