Indonesia today is a Muslim country except for the island of Bali. However, over 1,000 years ago, the island of Java saw great competition between Tantric Buddhism and Tantric Hinduism. This resulted in the creation of some of the most magnificent structures in the world that even today evoke awe in the beholder.

Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands of which 7,000 are inhabited. Java is one of the larger islands with several volcanic peaks. These are considered sacred because the volcanic ash makes the land fertile. The mountains collect river water that irrigate the fields. Around Mount Merapi, we find two great temples built here between the 8th and 9th century by the local Shailendra and Sanjay kings. They patronised Tantric Buddhism and Tantric Hinduism. The Tantric Buddhist branch of the royal family built Borobudur. The Tantric Hindu branch built the Prambanan structure. We know they are tantric because an aerial view reveals that they are built on radially symmetrical square-shaped mandalas with four doorways.