Dieng Plateau: Abode of the Hindu Gods

Rising more than 2000 metres above sea level, the Dieng Plateau in Central Java, named after the Sanskirt words Di Hyang meaning Abode of the Gods, epitomises the spread of Hinduism to South East Asia from the 8th to the 13th Century.
Some 400 small Hindu shrines of which 8 only are left standing are dedicated to Lord Shiva and these remain the oldest standing stones in Indonesia.
Many of the candi (shrine) are named after the heroes of Javanese mythology, such as Bima, Arjuna and Gatutkaca.
These shrines stand on the crater floor of a complex volcano system of which 3 craters are still geothermally active.
As the muslim call for prayer echoes across the plateau, one is quickly reminded that overtime empires fade only to be replaced by another.
Yet this has not deterred the predominantly muslim population of Indonesia from preserve these hindu shrines as part the national heritage alongside greater monuments like Borobudur and Prambanan, both are found with 100 km from Dieng Plateau

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[Gauraonline]

The history of religion and art in the island of Java was determined by the continuous infiltration of immigrants from eastern and southern India. Sanskrit inscriptions is found in western Java from the 4th century. THe majority of the temples are dedicated to Lord Vishnu whcih have resemblance to the Gupta, Pallava and Chalukya prototypes which are more Indian than Javanese. The Sailendra dynasty contributed to the great period of building activity in middle Java during the 8th and 9th century