The popular legend of Lara Jonggrang connect the site of Ratu Boko Palace, the origin of Durga statue in northern cella/chamber of the main shrine, and the origin of Sewu temple complex nearby. The legend tell the story about Prince Bandung Bondowoso that fell in love with Princess Lara Jonggrang, the daughter of King Boko. But the princess rejected his proposal of marriage because Bandung Bondowoso has killed King Boko and ruled her kingdom. Bandung Bondowoso insist the union. Finally Lara Jonggrang forced to agree for a union in marriage, but she posed one impossible condition: Bandung must build her a thousand temples in just one night.
The Prince entered into meditation and conjure up a multitude of spirits (demons) from the earth. Helped by supernatural beings, he succeed in building 999 temples. When the prince was about to succeed, the princess awake her palace maids and ordered the women of the village to begin pounding rice and set a fire in the east of the temple, attempting to make the prince and the spirits believe that the sun was about to rise. As the cocks began to crow, fooled by the light and the sounds of morning time, the supernatural helpers fled back into the ground. The prince was furious about the trick and in revenge he cursed Lara Jongrang to stone. She became the last and the most beautiful of the thousand statues. According to the traditions, the unfinished thousand temple created by the demons become the Sewu temple compounds nearby (Sewu means "thousands" in Javanese), and the Princess is the image of Durga in the north cella of the Shiva temple at Prambanan, which is still known as Lara Jongrang or Slender Virgin.
Source: Wikipedia
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