Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Buddhist · Indonesia

Ratu Boko

Prambanan, Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta · -7.7700°, 110.4889°

Avalokitesvara (the Abhayagiri Vihara)Sailendra (Mataram)Fortified plateau settlement with candi architecture
Sacred since
750 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
8th-9th c. (Sailendra/Mataram)
Sailendra (Mataram)

History & significance

A walled complex of gates, terraces, pools and shrines on a plateau about 3 km south of Prambanan, identified with the Abhayagiri Vihara, the monastery on the hill free from danger. Occupied through the 8th and 9th centuries, it mixes Buddhist remains such as an Avalokitesvara shrine, Dhyani Buddhas and an Akshobhya effigy with Hindu ones including a lingam and yoni, Durga, Ganesha and Garuda.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Javanese folklore makes the plateau the palace of King Boko, whose daughter Loro Jonggrang set Prince Bandung Bondowoso to raise a thousand temples in a night, then had the village women pound rice so the cocks would crow early, for which the prince turned her to stone.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Sailendra (Mataram)