
Hidden deep inside the Indonesian jungle lies an enchanted 'church' which looks like a giant chicken.

The long-abandoned structure known locally as Gereja Ayam - or Chicken Church - attracts hundreds of curious travelers and photographers to the hills of Magelang, Central Java, every year.

But according to the its eccentric creator, the majestic building is neither a chicken nor a church.

Daniel Alamsjah was working in Jakarta - 342 miles away - when he suddenly got a divine message from God to build a 'prayer house' in the form of a dove.

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Majestic: The giant building known locally as Gereja Ayam - or Chicken Church - stands over the trees in a densely wooded area in Indonesia

Epiphany: Daniel Alamsjah was working in Jakarta - 342 miles away from where the prayer house stands - when he suddenly got a divine message from God to build a 'prayer house' in the form of a dove (pictured)

Magical: Now hundreds of travelers, tourists and worshipers visit the abandoned and unfinished building (pictured) every year

Hazard: Visitors need to take caution once they are inside because the long-abandoned building is very unstable

Therapy: Underneath the giant Chicken Church are 12 unfinished chambers which have been used as secluded rooms to rehabilitate 'children and drug addicts'

Comfortable: One traveler described how there are as many as 15 rooms inside the crumbling prayer house and some of them even have beds

'Perhaps because of my Christian faith, people thought I was building a church. But it’s not a church. I was building a prayer house... a place for people who believe in God,' the 67-year-old told Jakarta Globe.

In 1989, he was walking through the Magelang, where his wife's family live, when he caught sight of the exact same landscape he had seen in his dreams.

'I prayed all night there and I got a revelation that I must build the prayer house in that spot,' he said.

One year later, local land owners offered him the 3,000 square metres of land on Rhema Hill for just two million rupees - or £110 - which he paid off over four years.

Now people of many different religions - including Buddhists, Muslims and Christians - travel to the remote 'prayer house' to worship in their own way.

Colourful: The light dances off the side of the giant Chicken Church, which was built in the 1990s on the hills of Magelang, Central Java

Worship: On the upper floor of the church is an eerie and dark room (pictured) that was once used as the prayer room

Vandalised: On the walls inside, youngsters have graffittid 'bad words' or drawn pictures of 'naked women'

One of the several rumours surrounding the mystical building was that it was used as a rehabilitation centre. Alamsjah confirmed this to be true, saying: 'The rehabilitation that happened at this prayer house was for therapy for disabled children, drug addicts, crazy people and disturbed youth who wanted to fight.'

The prayer house shut its doors in 2000 because the construction costs were too high, but many continue to visit the beautiful site in Indonesia.

The head of the nearby Dese Gombong village was one of the 30 locals who helped Alamsjah build the prayer house. Today, Wasno is one of the people who directly benefits from tourists' curiosity about the famous Chicken Church.

He allows visitors to park outside his house - which is located at the bottom of the hill - for around 9p a day.

Through the magic of social media, Gereja Ayam has become a hotspot for travel bloggers like Putri Normalita who capture beautiful images of the other-worldly building and share them online.

She says: 'There is very little history about the building, still a lot of tourists want to visit it and even have their weddings there. Perhaps it's precisely because of the mystery that lots of people want to come see it first hand.

Old: A travel blogger who visited the church say some of the pillars (pictured) holding up the church are either crumbling or broken

Tourism: Around 30 local villages helped Alamsjah build the Chicken Church (pictured) and they now benefit from the increased tourism it has created

Naughty: Putri Normalita, the travel blogger who took these beautiful images, suggests the building hidden inside the dense woodland has become a hotspot for couples to commit 'immoral acts' away from prying eyes

Bargain: Alamsjah bought the 3,000 square metres of land where the church is built for two million rupees - or £110 - which he paid off over four years

'There are many names for this building, for example: Church Chicken, Bird Church, Church Dove, Pigeon Hill and many other names.

Putri also hints that it has become a safe haven for couples from the nearby villages of Flower Limus and Krangrejo to commit 'immoral acts' away from prying eyes.

Another traveler describes how five of the eight pillars holding the building up are now crumbling. Alek Kurniawan said: 'This is most strange, it turns out this rooms are terraced. The upstairs room was used as a church hall.

'While in the basement, there are rooms such as bedrooms and bathrooms. The rooms had no light so we used a flashlight to search for it. There are also bats that might be living there.