The Legend Behind Lara Djonggrang Restaurant, Jakarta

TIMESINDONESIA, MALANG – After more than a thousand years, the timeless, mystical legend of Lara Djonggrang is now
documented into a most uniquely romantic restaurant in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, a city
known among connoisseurs for the heat and chicness of its evening life.

A legend of such charisma, that reproduces itself in the dreams of the owner and creator of Tugu Hotels & Restaurants Group. Following his earlier inspirations that have resulted in the indigenously
exquisite Hotel Tugu Bali, Hotel Tugu Malang (East Java), Hotel Tugu Blitar (East Java), and Dapur
Babah Élite, the creator dreams of living in the ninth century-Java, surrounded by the magical beauty
of the Candi Prambanan (the Prambanan Temple). A surrounding where the legend Lara Djonggrang
was born....

Once upon a time during the times of Hinduism in Java, there lived Lara Djonggrang, a princess
renowned for her stunning beauty. During the kingdom of Prambanan, Lara Djonggrang’s father was
killed by a powerful man Bandung Bondowoso, the son of King Prabu Baka. Blinded by her beauty,
Bandung Bondowoso madly fell in love with the princess and was determined to marry Lara
Djonggrang, whatever it required to do.

Lara Djonggrang vowed not to ever marry the man who had murdered her own father therefore she
demanded Bandung Bondowoso to construct a thousand temples for her overnight. Unable to
complete this task all by himself, Bandung Bondowoso seeked for the help of hundreds of demons to
help him. So when dusk came, they set up to work.

As dawn approached, the demons had completed a large number of the temples at a startling speed.
Worried that one thousand temples would be finished by sunrise, Lara Djonggrang aroused her palace
maids to begin pounding rice in the barns and scatter fragrant flowers all over the kingdom. The
sound of the pounding woke the rooster who then began to crow. When the demons heard the noises
and smelled the flowers, they mistakenly understood that daytime had come and flew away for their
lives. At last, they only constructed 999 temples one short of the requirement.

Enraged beyond imagination, Bandung Bondowoso turned Lara Djonggrang into a stone statue so
that she would never be able to love others forever. The story of Lara Djonggrang lives through time,
symbolizing a daughter’s undying love for her father, finally sacrificing her life for him. The Gods
heard the prayers sent by the maidens of the kingdom. Touched by the story, they sent for Lara
Djonggrang was to be taken to the heavens, riding on a Javanese mythological lion, where she finally
found eternal peace.

The stone visualization of Lara Djonggrang on her way to the heavens is one of the masterpieces in this beautiful restaurant, as well as a statue portraying her refusal of Bandung Bondowoso’s plea to marry him. The artworks presented in this restaurant bring back to life the luxurious romance and ancient atmosphere of Prambanan.

The legend of Lara Djonggrang, although still could be heard deep in the lands of Java, remains only
as one of the most enchanting, well-kept secrets that have been told only from parents to children
through more than a thousand years, it shows each younger generation of unconditional love and
respect a child is to give to his or her parents. In line with its mission to keep alive the forgotten,
romantic history of Indonesia, Tugu Hotels & Restaurants Group dedicate the Lara Djonggrang
restaurant to become, in itself, a part of Indonesia’s beautiful history.

The Restaurant Lara Djonggrang of the Tugu Group is located strategically in the heart of the Menteng area, Central Jakarta. This authentic restaurant is housed in a formal Dutch mansion. Leaving intact all its antique characteristics and ambiance. The authentic Indonesian cuisine of LARA DJONGGRANG has been inspired by the royal journeys through the regions during the times of King Hayam Wuruk, who held the reign of the Kingdom of Majapahit at the beginning of the 14th century. Lara Djonggrang’s menu blended with the mystical, romantic atmosphere, we humbly present to remind the nowadays world, to bring back to life, and to pride ourselves on the unparalleled beauty of ancient Indonesia’s history.

For further information, do not hesitate to reach us at 0811-9108-966 or by Instagram DM to @lara_djonggrang, or go through our official website at www.tuguhotels.com. (*)