When Indonesia Was Hindu
Hindu kings once ruled the world’s largest archipelago. Why did they disappear?
A god-king who ruled in the name of Shiva once helmed a thousand islands for hundreds of years. But a disputed throne, a Chinese intervention, and an illegitimate son would shatter Indonesia’s greatest pre-colonial Hindu kingdom.
Indonesia is a constellation of more than 17,000 Southeast Asian islands that sit along the equator. Though thousands of miles away from India, Indonesia’s Hindu temples and statues rival their subcontinental counterparts in scale and grandeur. This July, the Indian government even agreed to help with the restoration of Indonesia’s largest Hindu temple, Prambanan. Many believe Hinduism left Indonesia — home to the world’s largest Muslim population — for good. But is that actually true?