Global Treasures: Prambanan

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1076

UPC: 879061006753

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

Indonesia's largest Hindu holy place is Prambanan, in central Java, a religious treasure that dates back to the 9th century and originally included 237 temples. An earthquake struck, and for many centuries the buildings lay buried beneath the ground until 1918, when archaeologists began to reconstruct the main temples.

The individual sections of the Candi Lara Jonggrang were rebuilt like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, which made the reconstruction process particularly laborious, but in 1953 the rebuilding of the central temples was completed.

The Candi Siva rises 47 metres into the sky and is the tallest in Prambanan, and it contains four inner chambers that face the four points of the compass. The main Hindu god, Shiva, is depicted in the southern chamber, whilst the sculpture of his reborn wife, Durga, is located within the temple's northern chamber.

Thankfully, due to the hard work and determination of many archaeologists, the symbolic meaning of the old Hindu god Shiva, God of Destruction and Renewal, is well on its way to being fully realized.