Historically Indonesia has been home to a variety of different cultures that coexisted and thrived together. These different cultures make the country a colorful and diverse place for locals as well as for visitors. A lot of Hindu and Buddhist empires reigned over the islands as early as 2nd century AD. They built grand religious monuments and temples such as Borobudur, Sewu and Prambanan. This era was marked as the renaissance period of Hindu-Buddhist art in ancient Java. Candi Prambanan is the largest temple complex uncovered in Indonesia. The temple has intricate carvings on the walls to pictorially describe events from the Epic Ramayana. Later Muslim and Christian missions to the island introduced and established the two religions in the country. For most parts, Islam and Christianity overlaid and mixed with existing cultures which shaped the Indonesian society in unthinkable ways.
