Candi Penataran lies on the southern slopes below a volcano in East Java, not far from Blitar, and is the largest temple complex surviving in this part of the island. It is not a single monument but a sequence: three walled courtyards arranged along an axis that rises gradually, with gateways, guardian figures, platforms, subsidiary shrines and a dated pendopo terrace whose sides are covered in relief. The complex was built and enlarged over a long span, serving successive East Javanese courts, and this accumulation is precisely what makes it valuable - a site where changes in style, iconography and religious emphasis can be followed on the ground. The reliefs are among its greatest attractions, with narrative panels drawn from the epic literature carved in the vigorous, flattened East Javanese manner. The film moves up through the courtyards as a visitor would, reads the reliefs in sequence, and uses aerial photography to show the whole terraced plan against the volcano behind it.
