#TITLE_ALTERNATIVE#

• Main Author: ATTARI KHAIRUNNISA (NIM : 10310023); Pembimbing : Prof. Dr. Taufiq Hidayat, SITTI
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/20531
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Hindu culture in India has been recognized astronomy for thousand years with the first mention of astronomy on Rgveda, the oldest scripture of Hinduism. It is a fact that is concluded from other aspects of astronomy found on several ancient Hindish structures in India. Not only there, Angkor Wat which is a Hindu temple located in Cambodia also has integrated aspects of astronomy. Then in Indonesia, we have Candi Prambanan, the country's largest Hindu temple site. <br /> <br /> Prior research has suggested relationships between Prambanan Temple with astronomy, shown by the direction of which it faces exactly towards east. The choice of direction must have been done with consistent observations of the Sun. It also has been proposed that Prambanan Temple used the concept of mandala, which is the basic concept for the construction of Hindu temples in India. The concept of mandala provides important information regarding astronomy and historical facts surrounding it. For example, the date of establishment of a temple can be concluded from the guideline of mandala set up. From the type of mandala, it can be determined for whom the temple was built. Thus, the author frame a hypothesis on which type of mandala used based on the number of Pervara located on yard II of the temple site. Based on the hypothesis, it can be gathered that Prambanan Temple was constructed for a place of worship for kings (Ksatriyas). <br /> <br /> In addition of the mandala hypothesis, the author also sought the possibility of astronomical alignments between Prambanan Temple with the Sun and the Moon. The possibility was studied by calculating the declination of celestial bodies that located in the top of the temple from various positions. By taking the declination value that correspond with the declination of the Sun and the Moon, it is then the astronomical alignments of the two celestial bodies can be determined.