Roro Jonggrang

The story relates that Prabu Boko desired to expand his kingdom, and so began training an army and raising taxes for an invasion of Pengging.

Prince Bandung Bandawasa was mesmerized by the beauty of the mourning princess and proposed marriage, but his offer was swiftly rejected.

Bandung Bandawasa insisted on the union, and finally, Rara Jonggrang agreed on two impossible conditions: first the prince must build a well-named Jalatunda, and second, he must construct a thousand temples in only one night.

Using his supernatural powers once again and summoning all manner of demons, the prince swiftly finished construction and proudly displayed his work for the princess.

To thwart his efforts the princess and her maids lit fires in the east direction and began pounding rice padi, a traditional dawn activity.

This legend is a local popular folklore that connects and explains the supernatural origin of Central Java's famous archaeological sites; such as the Ratu Boko palace, the Durga statue in the northern cella/chamber of the main Prambanan shrine, and the Sewu temple complex nearby.

Another interpretation mentioned that this legend could be a collective but vague local memory about past historical events that happened in the area, staged around the 9th-century struggle for power between the Sailendra and the Sanjaya dynasty for control of Central Java.