Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple with a series of square and circular terraces. It was constructed between 778 and 850 AD, however, shortly after it’s completion Hindu kings conquered the Buddhist dynasty and the temple was abandoned. It was preserved until it was rediscovered in the 19th century by ash from successive explosions by the nearby volcano, Mt. Merapi. In the 1960’s, UNESCO started a major restoration effort to take apart and rebuild Borobudur piece by piece.
Borobudur is like any other historical monument in that there’s a small town surrounding the world wonder. As we entered the parking we were mobbed by locals selling every knick-knack you could possibly need even before we exited the vans. We had a great guide telling us about Borobudur with his own jokes inserted here and there. There are ten levels, including the ground, and you can circumnavigate three of them in a symbolic journey through the three spheres of Tantric Buddhism. There was a group of people who actually did make their way here to perform their pilgrimage with a spiritual chant that end on the top tier with them bowing their heads and touching the top-most stupa. The top tier has more than 70 stupas containing Buddha. Most of the heads are missing or damaged due to collectors stealing them.
Although Borobudur has become a major tourist attraction there still remains a special spiritual feeling when surrounded by all the beautiful scenery.
-blog post by Will Kennard
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