Cerita Rakyat Loro Jongrang

Candi Prambanan (Loro Jonggrang)

Alkisah, pada dahulu kala terdapat sebuah kerajaan besar yang

bernama Prambanan. Rakyatnya hidup tenteram dan damai. Tetapi, apa
yang terjadi kemudian? Kerajaan Prambanan diserang dan dijajah oleh
negeri Pengging. Ketentraman Kerajaan Prambanan menjadi terusik. Para
tentara tidak mampu menghadapi serangan pasukan Pengging. Akhirnya,
kerajaan Prambanan dikuasai oleh Pengging, dan dipimpin oleh Bandung
Bondowoso.

Bandung Bondowoso seorang yang suka memerintah dengan kejam.

"Siapapun yang tidak

menuruti perintahku, akan dijatuhi hukuman berat!", ujar Bandung

Bondowoso pada rakyatnya.
Bandung Bondowoso adalah seorang yang sakti dan mempunyai pasukan
jin. Tidak berapa lama berkuasa, Bandung Bondowoso suka mengamati
gerak-gerik Loro Jonggrang, putri Raja Prambanan yang cantik jelita.
"Cantik nian putri itu. Aku ingin dia menjadi permaisuriku," pikir Bandung
Bondowoso.

Esok harinya, Bondowoso mendekati Loro Jonggrang. "Kamu cantik

sekali, maukah kau menjadi permaisuriku ?", Tanya Bandung Bondowoso
kepada
Loro Jonggrang. Loro Jonggrang tersentak, mendengar pertanyaan
Bondowoso.

"Laki-laki ini lancang sekali, belum kenal denganku langsung

menginginkanku menjadi permaisurinya", ujar Loro Jongrang dalam hati.
"Apa yang harus aku lakukan ?". Loro Jonggrang menjadi kebingungan.
Pikirannya berputar-putar.

Jika ia menolak, maka Bandung Bondowoso akan marah besar dan

membahayakan keluarganya serta rakyat Prambanan. Untuk
mengiyakannya pun tidak mungkin, karena Loro Jonggrang memang tidak
suka dengan Bandung Bondowoso.

"Bagaimana, Loro Jonggrang ?" desak Bondowoso. Akhirnya Loro

Jonggrang mendapatkan ide. "Saya bersedia menjadi istri Tuan, tetapi
ada syaratnya," Katanya.

"Apa syaratnya? Ingin harta yang berlimpah? Atau Istana yang megah?".

"Bukan itu, tuanku, kata Loro Jonggrang. Saya minta dibuatkan candi,
jumlahnya harus seribu buah. "Seribu buah?" teriak Bondowoso. "Ya, dan
candi itu harus selesai dalam waktu semalam."

Bandung Bondowoso menatap Loro Jonggrang, bibirnya bergetar

menahan amarah. Sejak saat itu Bandung Bondowoso berpikir bagaimana
caranya membuat 1000 candi. Akhirnya ia bertanya kepada
penasehatnya. "Saya percaya tuanku bias membuat candi tersebut
dengan bantuan Jin!", kata penasehat. "Ya, benar juga usulmu, siapkan
peralatan yang kubutuhkan!"

Setelah perlengkapan di siapkan. Bandung Bondowoso berdiri di depan

altar batu. Kedua lengannya dibentangkan lebar-lebar. "Pasukan jin,
Bantulah aku!" teriaknya dengan suara menggelegar. Tak lama
kemudian, langit menjadi gelap. Angin menderu-deru. Sesaat kemudian,
pasukan jin sudah mengerumuni Bandung Bondowoso. "Apa yang harus
kami lakukan Tuan ?", tanya pemimpin jin. "Bantu aku membangun
seribu candi," pinta Bandung Bondowoso. Para jin segera bergerak ke
sana kemari, melaksanakan tugas masing-masing. Dalam waktu singkat
bangunan candi sudah tersusun hampir mencapai seribu buah.

Sementara itu, diam-diam Loro Jonggrang mengamati dari kejauhan. Ia

cemas, mengetahui Bondowoso dibantu oleh pasukan jin.

"Wah, bagaimana ini?", ujar Loro Jonggrang dalam hati. Ia mencari akal.
Para dayang kerajaan disuruhnya berkumpul dan ditugaskan
mengumpulkan jerami.

"Cepat bakar semua jerami itu!" perintah Loro Jonggrang. Sebagian

dayang lainnya disuruhnya menumbuk lesung.
Dung... dung...dung! Semburat warna merah memancar ke langit dengan
diiringi suara hiruk pikuk, sehingga mirip seperti fajar yang menyingsing.

Pasukan jin mengira fajar sudah menyingsing. "Wah, matahari akan

terbit!" seru jin. "Kita harus segera pergi sebelum tubuh kita dihanguskan
matahari," sambung jin yang lain. Para jin tersebut berhamburan pergi
meninggalkan tempat itu. Bandung Bondowoso sempat heran melihat
kepanikan pasukan jin.

Paginya, Bandung Bondowoso mengajak Loro Jonggrang ke tempat candi.

"Candi yang kau minta sudah berdiri!". Loro Jonggrang segera
menghitung jumlah candi itu. Ternyata jumlahnya hanya 999 buah!.
"Jumlahnya kurang satu!" seru Loro Jonggrang. "Berarti tuan telah gagal
memenuhi syarat yang saya ajukan". Bandung Bondowoso terkejut
mengetahui kekurangan itu. Ia menjadi sangat murka. "Tidak
mungkin...", kata Bondowoso sambil menatap tajam pada Loro
Jonggrang. "Kalau begitu kau saja yang melengkapinya!" katanya sambil
mengarahkan jarinya pada Loro Jonggrang. Ajaib! Loro Jonggrang
langsung berubah menjadi patung batu. Sampai saat ini candi-candi
tersebut masih ada dan terletak di wilayah Prambanan, Jawa Tengah dan
disebut Candi Loro Jonggrang.
Rara Jonggrang (legend)
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The statue of Durga Mahisasuramardini in the northern cella of Shiva temple, thought to be
Princess Rara Jonggrang

Shiva temple, the main temple at Prambanan

The Legend of Rara Jonggrang (alternative spellings: Roro Jonggrang, Loro Jonggrang
or Lara Jonggrang) is a Javanese popular legend (folktales) from Central Java telling the
story of love and betrayal, the knight and the cursed princess. It also explains the mythical
origin of Ratu Boko palace, Sewu temple, and the Durga statue in Prambanan temple
compound. The title Rårå (pronounced Roro) is ancient Javanese honorific title to address
noble maidens (virgins) or unmarried princesses, thus the name Rara Jonggrang in Javanese
means 'Slender Virgin'.\

Summary
The legend tells the story about two ancient and neighbouring kingdoms in Java, Pengging
and Boko.
Pengging was prosperous, and wisely ruled by its king Prabu Damar Moyo who had a son
named Bandung Bondowoso. By contrast, Boko was ruled by a cruel man-eating giant named
Prabu Boko, supported by another giant Patih Gupolo. Despite his unpleasant nature, Prabu
Boko had a beautiful daughter named Rara Jonggrang.

The story relates that Prabu Boko desired to expand his kingdom, and so began training an
army and raising taxes for an invasion of Pengging. His forces launch a surprise attack on
Pengging, and the ensuring war causes devastation and famine on both sides. In order to
defeat the invader, Prabu Damar Moyo sends his son Bandung Bondowoso to fight Prabu
Boko. After a furious battle, Prabu Boko is killed by the prince's supernatural powers. His
assistant, the giant Patih Gupolo, leads his armies away from the battlefield in defeat.

Returning to Boko Palace, Patih Gupolo tells princess Rara Jonggrang of the death of her
father. The princess is heartbroken, but before she can recover from her grief the Pengging
army besieges and captures the palace. Prince Bandung Bondowoso is mesmerized by the
beauty of the mourning princess and propose marriage, but his offer is swiftly rejected.
Bandung Bondowoso insists on the union, and finally Rara Jonggrang agrees on two
impossible conditions: first the prince must build a well named Jalatunda, and second, he
must construct a thousand temples in only one night.

The lovestruck prince agrees, and immediately starts work on the well. Using his supernatural
powers once again, the prince swiftly finishes construction and proudly displays his work for
the princess. As a trick, she urges him to enter the well and when he does so, Patih Gupolo
piles stones into it and buries him alive. With great effort Bandung Bondowoso escapes, but
his love for the princess is so strong that he forgives her the attempt on his life.

To fulfill the second condition, the prince enters into meditation and conjures up a multitude
of demon spirits from the earth. With their help he builds the first 999 temples and starts
work on the final one. To thwart his efforts the princess and her maids light a fire in the east
and begin pounding rice, a traditional dawn activity. Fooled into thinking the sun is about to
rise, the spirits flee back into the earth leaving the last temple unfinished.

The prince is furious when he learns of this deception, and places a curse on Rara Jonggrang
which turns her into a stone statue. In this way she herself becomes a feature of the final
temple, completing its construction and fulfilling the conditions for their marriage.
The Interpretation

A depiction of the legend on an Indonesian stamp

This legend is a local popular folklore that connects and explains the supernatural origin of
Central Java's famous archaeological sites; such as of the Ratu Boko palace, the Durga statue
in northern cella/chamber of the main Prambanan shrine, and the Sewu temple complex
nearby. Although the temples itself dated from circa 9th century, the legend was composed in
later times, probably during Mataram Sultanate era.

According to tradition, this thousandth temple is part of the Sewu temple compound (Sewu
means "thousands" in Javanese), and the Princess is the image of Durga in the north cell of
the Shiva temple at Prambanan, still known as Rara Jonggrang or Slender Virgin.

Another interpretation mentioned that this legend could be a collective but vague local
memory about past historical events that happened in the area, staged around the 9th century
struggle for power between the Sailendra and the Sailendra dynasties for control of Central
Java. King Boko is probably inspired by the King Samaratungga of Sailendra dynasty,
Bandung Bondowoso is Rakai Pikatan, a prince of Sanjaya dynasty, and Rara Jongrang is
Pramodhawardhani, wife of Rakai Pikatan and the daughter of Sailendran king. The actual
historical event was probably the contest of power between Balaputradewa, the Sailendran
heir, against his sister, Pramodhawardhani, aided by her husband, Rakai Pikatan, which led to
Pikatan as the victor, thus ending the Sailendran rule on Central Java.