Unearthing Earth's secrets

Unearthing Earth's secrets

Plaosan: The Temple of Love

Text and photos by Tarko Sudiarno

Nineth century Rakai Pikatan, a Javanese Hindu king, ordered the
construction of a complex of magnificent Budhist temples to
illustrate his devotion to his Budhist wife, Pramuda Wardani. The
complex is unique and distinctive from other temples in Java.

Plaosan temple, located just northeast of the famous Prambanan
temple near the Central Java-Yogyakarta border, has a massive
trench encircling it. The ditch was covered hundreds of years ago
by the debris of an eruption by Mount Merapi. Archeologists
recently started unearthing the trench in a bid to recapture the
former splendor of Plaosan.