Brambanan

Brambanan, a district of the province of Surakarta, Java, rich in remains of Hindu temples, of which there are six groups, with two apparently monastic buildings. The edifices are composed entirely of hewn stone, and no mortar has been used in their construction. The largest is a cruciform temple, surrounded by five concentric squares, formed by rows of detached cells or shrines, embracing an area of 500 feet square. In several of these dagobas the cross-legged figures of Buddha remain; but the larger figures which must have occupied the central temples have disappeared from all but one. The outer one consists of 84 temples; the second, of 76; the third, of 64; the fourth, of 44; and the inner one, of 28. In the centre stands the largest and most imposing structure of all. It is 90 feet high, and profusely decorated with mythological figures, which are executed in a very fair style of art. On the south face of the outside parallelogram there are two monstrous figures, with uplifted clubs, kneeling in a threatening attitude. One of the single Buddhist edifices is pretty entire, as are also about a third of the cells, but the rest lie strewn upon the ground.