Case file · Folklore / legend
Roro Jonggrang and the thousand temples
Javanese legend says Princess Roro Jonggrang, forced to marry the giant-slaying Bandung Bondowoso, demanded a thousand temples in one night; when he nearly succeeded with the help of spirits, she tricked the dawn and he cursed her into stone.
850 CE · -7.75, 110.49 · status: legend
The account
She is identified with the Durga statue in the Prambanan temple compound, built around 850 CE. The legend also explains the origin of the nearby Sewu temple and Ratu Boko palace.
The sceptical view
Prambanan was a 9th-century Hindu royal foundation; the legend is a later folk explanation of its many shrines.