Prambanan is the name given to a group of Hindu temples near Yogyakarta, in central Java, Indonesia. They were built during the A.D. 800’s. On moonlit nights, one of the outer courtyards of the temples is used as an open air theater for a dramatic performance of an epic poem, the Ramayana.
The group consists of six buildings. The central and largest temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva (see Shiva). In the temple are sculptures of scenes from the Ramayana. The central statue in the temple is also that of Shiva. The temple also contains statues of Agastya, Durga, and Ganesa, three other Hindu gods. Other temples are dedicated to Nandi, the bull on which Shiva rides; the god Brahma; and the god Vishnu (see Vishnu).
