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.