The Ramayana Ballet
The plots of many of Indonesian dance and theater performances are based on episodes from the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic. This sacred Hindu text has been known in Indonesia since the early Middle Ages. In Java and Bali, Ramayana was adapted to describe the wanderings of Prince Rama; the kidnapping of his wife, Sita, by a demon king; Rama's victory over the villain and the release of his beloved. In Java the most visually enthralling performances of Ramayana can be seen in the city of Yogyakarta and its vicinities. There are two main stages: at the Hindu temple Prambanan, and at Yogyakarta Purawisata cultural center.
Yogyakarta Purawisata cultural center in downtown Yogyakarta, which has had a record number of performances: every day since 1976. Over 40 years!
The most impressive Ramayana-themed performances are the ones whose setting is the majestic Prambanan, a Hindu temple compound 20 kilometers outside Yogyakarta.
The dramatic dance performances take place out of doors in the evening on a special stage, and are accompanied by singing and by the charming music of the traditonal gamelan orchestra. The magical performance that involves many actors takes place against the backdrop of the spectacularly illuminated tower-shaped temples of Prambanan, which were built between the second half of the 9th and the early 10th centuries.
The extraordinarily rich sculptural decorations of the shrines include reliefs that depict scenes from the Ramayana epic. In 1991 the Prambanan temple complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
