Prambanan Temple Complex is located in Indonesia, in the central part of Java, 18 km from Yogyakarta. Prambanan dates back to the 8th century; Prince Rakai Pikatan of the Sanjay Dynasty is considered its founder. According to the prince, the Hindu Prambanan was supposed to surpass the neighboring Buddhist temple of Borobudur with grandeur and luxury. Until the X century, Prambanan was built and expanded by the rulers of Mataram (the state that existed in Indonesia in the VIII-X centuries), as a result, the complex began to include 240 large and small temples. Prambanan had the status of a royal temple, it held religious ceremonies and sacrifices. At the beginning of the 10th century, the center of Mataram was moved to east Java, and Prambanan was abandoned. In the XVI century, due to a strong earthquake and the eruption of the Merapi volcano, most of the complex was destroyed, the ruins of the once majestic structure gradually swallowed the jungle. Only in 1930, large-scale restoration work began in Prambanan, which continues to this day. The religious complex has three zones. The outer zone is an open space, which was fenced by massive stone walls, now destroyed. Archaeologists suggest that here in ancient times there was a large garden for relaxation. The middle zone consists of four tiers and is divided by four low walls. In this zone, there were 224 shrines, the so-called Candi Perwara (Guardians of Temples), most of them are in ruins. The inner zone contains 16 temples - 8 main and as many secondary ones. In the center of the complex are the main shrines of Prambanana - the temple of the god Shiva, to the north of it - the temple of Brahma, in the south - the temple of the god Vishnu. This trinity is called Lara Jongrang, which means "Slender Maid." The walls of the temples are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the ancient epos Ramayana and Kreshnayana. Next to the three main temples are shrines dedicated to the animals of the supreme gods - the eagle Garuda, on which Vishnu flies, the Nandi bull - the carrier of Shiva and the swan Angs, the animal of Brahma. Prambanan is recognized as one of the most beautiful Hindu temples in the world, is included in the list of the most visited attractions of Indonesia. In 1991, the Prambanan archaeological site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.