Indonesia – Hindu Temples

Lombok (population 2,950,105 in 2005) is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It is part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a "tail" to the southwest, about 70 km across and a total area of about 4,725 km² (1,825 sq mi). The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram. The Dutch first visited Lombok in 1674 and settled the eastern most part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. The Sasaks chafed under Balinese rule, and a revolt in 1891 ended in 1894 with the annexation of the entire island to the Netherlands East Indies.

The second largest city in Lombok, Cakranegara houses an important temple for Hindu follower in Lombok. This architecture beauty is a remnant of the Karangasem Kingdom of Bali, when it ruled Lombok in the past. This temple is the largest temple in Lombok. Meru temple was built in 1970 by Balinese prince Anak Agung Made Karang, as an attempt to unite all the small kingdoms on Lombok since this temple was built as a symbol of universe.

Meru Temple has three courtyards; the outer courtyard houses a kukul (wooden gong) tower. The middle courtyard houses two buildings for the worshipers to retreat and for the gamelan orchestra. The inner courtyard houses 33 small shrines, a large Padmasana, and three multi-roofed Meru shrines, which are dedicated to Hindu trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Prambanan is the ninth century Hindu temple compound in Central Java, Indonesia, dedicated to Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). The temple compound located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta city on the boundary between Yogyakarta and Central Java province. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is currently the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia, and also one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.