Prambanan temple complex, Java, Indonesia.Just about 10 miles outside of Yogyakarta in central Java is the temple complex of Prambanan. This huge complex of Hindu temples was constructed between the 8th and 10th centuries. The remains of 244 temples have been identified in the complex, making it easily the largest Hindu temple complex on Java. Later, when the kings moved their courts to East Java under the rule of Majapahit, this area was more or less deserted and the temple buildings collapsed, helped by several large earthquakes and plundering of stones. A large restoration project was started in 1937 and completed in 1953. Although the entire complex technically covers serveral square miles, most tourists just visit the central compound (pictured), which contains eight larger temples along with eight smaller ones. Each of the individual temples has the same basic design. They vary in size and decoration, acording to which individual Hindu deity the temple was dedicated to.The largest and most ornate temple of the group is, of course, dedicated to the central Hindu god Shiva. It's called the Candi Shiva Mahadeva. Many consider it to be one of the most outstanding examples of Hindu art. From the square base, the spire reaches up 150 feet into the sky. The temple is also known as Loro Jonggrang who promised a man that if he could build her a temple in only one night he would be allowed to marry her. He actually built the temple on time, but the princess announced the dawn much too early. The man became so angry because of this that he turned the princess into stone, and the statue inside this large temple is supposedly the princess herself.Close to Candi Shiva Mahadeva stands the Candi Brahma and Candi Vishnu temples, in total the central temple group consists of eight larger and eight smaller temples. In addition Prambanan consists of more than 240 small temples inside a radius of five km from the main complex. Prambanan is less famous than Borobodur, but man