Prambanan temple now glows in the dark

By Tjahjono Ep.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): With the temple reflecting the golden light of the full moon, all eyes were fixed on a wild flame on stage. The audience held their breath in awe when the fire died, exposing a beautiful woman, Shinta, who emerged from the flame without a mark on her fair skin.

Shinta successfully underwent purification in the burning flame. Emerging unharmed proved to her husband Rama that she was not "touched" by lovesick King Rahwana of Alengka who abducted her.

Rama managed to free Shinta after a daring offensive in which he was helped by Hanoman, the wise king of the apes. Rahwana was killed during the offensive. Rama then set Shinta on fire to test whether she had remained faithful to him.

The scene is the climax of the Ramayana epic performed at the Prambanan Temple complex, about 25 kilometers east of here, every full moon since 1961. Involving 200 dancers, the show was first performed on July 26, 1961.

World-renowned comedian Charlie Chaplin, who saw the Ramayana on Aug. 25, 1961, wrote in the guest book, "I think there will be more happiness in the world if it can enjoy such a beautiful dance because it will make people forget the world and its controversies, its conflict, its poverty and sorrows."

Then president Sukarno along with some of his Cabinet ministers and 16 ambassadors also made the trip to see the show.

The famous dance now is even more spectacular since the ancient Hindu temple complex built in 856 had its lighting system upgraded earlier this month. The unveiling of the new system was officiated by Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengku Buwono X on Feb. 3.

People now can enjoy not only the performance when the moon is full, but also the well-lit temple complex every night.

From the open-air, horseshoe shaped theater, constructed in 1980 with a capacity of 2,000 people, visitors can see the three main temples in the complex: Brahma Temple, Siwa Temple and Wisnu Temple. The area surrounding the temples is also visible in all its natural beauty.

Joko Sutono, spokesman for PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur- Prambanan-Ratu Boko, said that the lighting system was specifically designed for Ramayana performances.

The system consists of 14 750-watt HPS spotlights and two 400- watt Metal Halides floodlights. The 14 HPS lights produce a golden glow on the main temples, while the Metal Halides lights produce a clear light.

The 16 lights, installed 200 meters from the three main temples, allow the temple complex to be viewed from the open-air theater located on the western side of the complex. The complex can also be seen from the nearby Yogyakarta-Surakarta highway at night.

The old lighting system consisted of a 1000-watt halogen floodlight for the surrounding area and five 2000-watt halogen searchlights which provided background lighting for the Ramayana.

The new lighting system is said to have a number of advantages. It saves energy, creates better three-dimensional images and the lifespan of the lamps can reach up to 12,000 hours.

Sutono said that the lighting system was installed in cooperation with Yogyakarta-based PT General Electric Lighting on the basis of a two-year contract. The company provides the system and PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur-Prambanan-Ratu Boko allows it to advertise in the temple complex.

The Prambanan temple complex's previous lighting system was installed in cooperation with the Japanese government as part of its involvement in the complex's development.

With the new lighting system, tourist authorities plan to make the Ramayana a nightly attraction at the temples. They are also considering a plan to develop a religious program as part of the daytime tour of the complex.

According to Joko Sutono, the religious program would maintain the temples' original function as a place to worship the god Siwa. The idea of introducing religious programs came from State Minister of the Empowerment of State Enterprises Tanri Abeng.

"We are thinking of holding Hindu religious ceremonies just like Buddhists hold ceremonies at Borobudur Temple," Joko said.

The plan arose out of the concern that the temples' religious functions had been lost due to commercial interests.

Official figures show that the number of visitors to Prambanan dropped last year to 646,000 from the 1.1 million in 1997. The economic crisis and widespread rioting are believed to be responsible for the decline.

The new lighting system is expected to lure more visitors. Future full moons will show whether tourists will be drawn to the light.