Borobudur - Indonesia

Name : Borobudur

Location : Borobudur temple located in the Jogjakarta city on central Java.

Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the ninth century. It was built by King Samaratungga from the Syailendra Dynasty. Borobudur temple is the one of the best-preserved ancient monument in Indonesia that are most frequently visited by over a million domestic as well as foreign visitors. It also had been acclaimed by the world as a cultural heritage. The architectural style has no equal through out the world. It was completed centuries before Angkor Wat in Kamboja. Borobudur is one of the world's most famous temples; it stands majestically on a hilltop overlooking lush green fields and distant hills.

Legend : It is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words "Vihara Buddha Uhr" Means "the Buddhist Monastery on the hill". Borobudur is a terraced temple surmounted by stupas, or stone towers; the terraces resemble Indonesian burial foundations, indicating that Borobudur was regarded as the symbol of the final resting place of its founder, a Syailendra, who was united after his death with the Buddha.

Temple Architecture : Borobudur is built of gray Andesite stone. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome is located at the center of the top platform, and is surrounded by seventy-two Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely, Kamadhatu (the world of desire); Rupadhatu (the world of forms); and Arupadhatu (the world of formless). During the journey, the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.

The walls of the Borobudur are sculptured in bas-reliefs extending over a total length of six kilometers. It has been hailed as the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist relieves in the world, unsurpassed in artistic merit and each scene an individual masterpiece.