Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia, a cluster of soaring stone towers on the plain between Yogyakarta and Solo, with the volcano Merapi brooding to the north. The central shrines were built in the ninth century and dedicated to the Trimurti: Shiva in the tallest tower, about forty-seven metres high, flanked by Brahma and Vishnu, with smaller temples for their mounts facing them. The walls are covered with reliefs of the Ramayana, carved so that you read the story as you walk clockwise around the galleries.
The site's history is a tale of collapse and rebuilding. Abandoned, shaken by earthquakes and probably by Merapi's eruptions, it lay in ruins for centuries, and reconstruction only really began in the twentieth century, piece by numbered piece. The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake damaged it again, and repairs went on for years. Around the main group lie other temples worth seeing, including Sewu, a large Buddhist complex just to the north, a reminder that the Hindu and Buddhist dynasties of Central Java built side by side. In the dry season, the Ramayana ballet is performed on an open-air stage with the floodlit towers behind.
For riders, this is scooter country, and the main road between Yogya and Solo is busy, fast and chaotic, with buses, trucks and swarms of motorbikes all jostling for space. Ride defensively, keep a steady line and use the horn as locals do, as a friendly announcement rather than an insult. The smaller roads north towards the slopes of Merapi are far more pleasant, climbing through rice fields, villages and salak palm plantations into cooler air, with the volcano looming larger as you go.
Candi Prambanan and the surrounding towns are densely populated, so fuel is easy: Pertamina stations are common, and in villages you will see petrol sold in glass bottles at roadside stalls. Warungs everywhere sell nasi goreng, gudeg, the sweet jackfruit stew Yogyakarta is famous for, and cold drinks. Go early in the morning, both for cooler riding and for the light on the towers, and bring a sarong or cover-up for the temple grounds. Afternoon thunderstorms in the wet season can be torrential.