The Legend: the love Story of Bandung Bondowoso is a giant who had supernatural power with a Beauty Lara Jonggrang

Date of Erection
Te exact year of the Candi Loro Jongrang complex is not yet known. Because of insufficient data to estimate its age. Up to now, its greatly assumed, that Candi Lara Jonggrang complex was built in the 10th century and that has same connection with the King of Daksa or Balitung. J.G de Casparis suggested a different opinion about this by placing the date of erection of the Candi Loro Jongrang complex in the 9th century.

Meaning of Candi
As a symbol of cosmos, the candi vertically divided into three parts; the base is “underworld” the place for ordinary person. The body forms the “middle world”, the place for people who have left their worldly things, and the top of the roof is the “upper world, the world of Gods.
Horizontally, it is divided into the outer, center, inner yard (in Bali, every pura or temple consists 3 yards, i.e. djaba, djaba-tengah, djeroan).
The burial place is in the base of the candi, in the middle in which is a well preserved for stone-casket (pripih) containing the ashes of the deceases and various other things such as semi precociousness, metals, colored earth, etc. As far as we know, only Hindu temples have such wells.

Candi is a Symbol of Cosmos
Ancient monuments are usually called Candi. The name “candi” is probably derived from the world “Candika”, one of the names of Durga as the Goddess of Death. Consequently, these candis are burial places (musolea) especially for Kings and outstanding people of the time.

When a King or a prominent person died it was referred to as “cinandi” which means “placed in a chandi”. The things place in a candi was then the ashes of the deceased together with various things representing the physical and spiritual elements serving as symbols of the cosmos or microcosms. These ashes were placed in a stone casket which was next placed in a shaft (well) in the base of the candi. Above this well and covering it, was then building the statue of some God of which the deceased King was the incarnation. This statue became after that the object of those who wished to worship their King. Ancestor worship has been a tradition amongst Indonesians from pre-historic times.

Origin of the Name of “Lara Jonggrang”
There is attached to the name of Lara Jonggrang a piece of well-known folklore. Lara Jonggrang is the name of daughter of Ratu Boko, whose name is still used with reference to the archeological remains in the sorogedug high plateau which consist of ruins, supposed to be a kraton (palace) in ancient time. The palace has been referred to as the palace of King Ratu Boko, whose daughter was said to be slender and beautiful.

Bandung Bondowoso is a giant who had supernatural power asked for her hand. Afraid of refusing him, she asked him to give her by way of wedding present a monument (candi) with a thousand statues to be build in one night, a request which she considered could not be fulfilled. But she was mistaken.

When Bandung Bondowoso was already approaching the final stages of his task in pleasing the one he adored, the princes by means of a trick was able to undo his work. Pounding on a rice mortar, she started the cocks to crow, thinking that dawn has come. Only one more statue had to be finished. Out of anger Bandung Bondowoso cursed the princes to be changed into stone to complete the number of statues.

This statue is the Dewi Durga, which now stands in the northern cella of the main temple. Up till now, this statue is still the object of pilgrimage for people who believe