Ancient Prambanan Hindu Temple

This is a the largest hindu temple complex in Indonesia. The central tower is 154 foot tall, and very elaborate. It was probably built around 850 AD, but abandoned around 930 AAD, probably due to the eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano. It was largely ignored until the British occupation in 1811, when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles set out to discover ancient sites and ruins like this. Unfortunately the British weren't there for very long, and the Dutch colonists didn't protect the site. Dutch residents carried off sculptures as garden ornaments and native villagers used the foundation stones for construction material.