Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Centarl Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimūrti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Transformer (Shiva). The temple compound is located approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of the city of Yogyakarta on the boundary between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces.

The compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

My interest is in the ways rulers deployed symbols of sacred geography to sacralise their environment and assert an anthropocosmic connection between themselves and the divine. I'm convinced that certain Hindu-Buddhist idioms of kingship that took form in Southeast Asia also found expression in Japan between the 9th and 14th centuries. 

Key terms include 'axis mundi', and 'mandalic space'. 

This site provides access to a a set of images from a photographic survey conducted in January 2017. 

Users may print, download, display, and link to these compressed images, provided the integrity of the individual works are maintained and full bibliographic citations are provided. Please cite 'Copyright Matthew Stavros (2017), mstavros.com. Contact matthew.stavros@sydney.edu.au for more information.