Archipelago Folklore "The Legend of Loro Jonggrang

Once upon a time, there was a great kingdom called Prambanan. The people of Prambanan were very peaceful and prosperous under the leadership of King Prabhbhana. Also, the small kingdoms around Prambanan were very obedient and respectful of Prabh Baka's leadership.

Meanwhile, in another place, there was a kingdom as great as Prambanan: the Penguin Kingdom. The kingdom was considered very arrogant and always wanted to expand its territory. In the Penguin Kingdom, there was a powerful knight named Bondowoso. Bondowoso was known as Bandung Bondowoso because he had a magical weapon called Bandung. Bandung Bondowoso not only had powerful weapons, but also an army of jinn. Bandung Bondowoso used his army to attack other kingdoms and fulfilled all his wishes.

Until one day the arrogant king of Penguin Bandung called him Bondowoso. The Penguin King then ordered Bandung Bondowoso to attack Prambanan Kingdom. The next day, Bandung Bondowoso assembled an army of jinn and immediately left for Prambanan kingdom.

Upon reaching Prambanan, they immediately rushed into the palace. Prabhu Baka and his army were confused due to their unpreparedness. Bandung Bondowoso eventually succeeded in capturing Prambanan Kingdom and Prabhu Baka was killed by Bandung Bondowoso's gun. The victory of Bandung Bondowoso and his army was hailed by King Penguin. King Penguin Bandung then ordered Bondowoso to occupy Prambanan Palace and take care of everything in the palace, including Prabhu Baka's family.

While Bandung Bondowoso was staying at Prambanan Royal Palace, he saw a very beautiful woman. His wife was Loro Jonggrang, daughter of Prabhu Baka. Bandung Bondowoso saw Loro Jonggrang and fell in love. Without thinking twice, Bandung Bondowoso immediately called and asked Loro Jonggrang to marry him.

“Mr. Loro Jonggrang, are you ready to be my wife?” Bandung Bondowoso asked Mr. Loro Jonggrang.

When Loro Jonggrang was asked by Bandung Bondowoso, he simply remained silent with a puzzled look on his face. In fact, she hated Bandung Bondowoso with all her heart. Because Bandung Bondowoso killed her father whom she loved so much. On the other hand, Loro Jonggrang was afraid to reject Bandung Bondowoso's proposal. After some thought, Loro Jonggrang finally found a way to stop her from marrying Bandung Bondowoso.

"Okay, I will accept your proposal, but only after you meet one of my conditions," replied Loro Jonggrang.

"How are you, Loro Jonggrang?" asked Bandung Bandawasa.

"Make a thousand temples and two wells in one night," Loro Jonggrang replied.

Upon hearing the terms proposed by Loro Jonggrang, Bandung Bondowoso readily agreed. Bandung Bondowoso had a very large djinn army, so he felt that this was a very easy condition for him.

In the evening Bandung Bandawasa began to gather his army. The Jin army arrived in no time. The army ordered by Bandung Bondowoso immediately built the temple and built it very quickly.

Loro Jonggrang, who witnessed the temple construction site, began to feel worried and frightened because at two-thirds of the night only three temples and one well were unfinished. Mr. Loro Jonggrang seriously considered how Bandung Bondowoso could meet his demands.

After much thought, Loro Jonggrang finally found a way out. Jin stopped building the temple because he made the atmosphere morning.

Loro Jonggrang immediately summoned all the court ladies in the palace. Loro Jonggrang gave Dayandayan the task of burning straw, sounding a mortar and scattering fragrant flowers. Upon hearing Loro Jonggrang's order, Dayan'an immediately burned the straw. Soon the sky turned red and the mortar began to crack. The fragrant scent of blooming flowers began to waft in the air, and roosters began to crow.

Seeing the redness of the sky, the sound of mortars, and the fragrant scent of flowers, Bandung Bondowoso's soldiers began to abandon their work. It was morning and they thought they had to go. When Bandung Bondowoso saw the soldiers leaving, he shouted:

"Soldiers, it's not morning yet. Please come back to complete the construction of this temple!!!"

Jin ignored Bandung Bondowoso's call and continued walking. Bandung Bondowoso was so upset that he finally stopped building the rest of the temple. But unfortunately the temple was not yet completed and morning came. Bandung Bondowoso failed to meet Loro Jonggrang's requirements. Knowing Bandung Bondowoso's failure, Loro Jonggrang turned to Bandung Bondowoso. “Bandung Bondowoso, you failed to meet my demands,” said Loro Jonggrang.

Hearing Loro Jonggrang's words, Bandung Bondowoso became very angry. Bandung Bondowoso said in a very loud voice:

"You betrayed Loro Jonggrang. Actually, you are the one who prevented the construction of this thousand temples." So I curse you and make you a statue in the thousandth temple! "

Loro Jonggrang was transformed into a statue thanks to the magic of Bandung Bondowoso. This statue can now be seen at the Prambanan temple complex, the name of which is known as Candi Loro Jonggrang. The surrounding temples are called Sewu Temple or Candi Seribu.