Borobudur

Name: Borobudur

Location: Jl. Badrawati, Kw. Candi Borobudur, Borobudur, Kec. Borobudur, Kabupaten Magelang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia

Reason to Visit: the largest Buddhist temple in the world, with impressive view of sunrise and sunset, wonderful architectural design to appreciate

Duration: about an hour

 

Borobudur is a Buddhist temple located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the Four Wonders of the East. The rest of then are the Great Wall in China, Taj Mahal in India and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Borobudur was thought to be built in the 9th century. In 1006 AD, it was buried underground because of volcanic eruption. It had been in the soil for more than 800 years. Till 1812 AD, it was discovered by Raffles, a British captain. And Dutch chief executive Hartmann finally excavated and found the whole Buddhist temple, Borobudur. Borobudur is the place that Buddhist believers worship and pilgrimage. Enjoy the sunrise at the Borobudur is thought to be the purest experience in people’s life.

 

 

 

The Story of Borobudur

Building

There is no written record of the building of Borobudur. We do not know who built the large Buddhist temple, when it was built and why it was built. From the research, Borobudur is thought to be built in the 9th century. The building of Borobudur is still an issue that many people want to know.

 

Disappearing

Borobudur used to sleep underground for more than 800 years. We do not know why the Buddhist temple was buried underground and why there were no persons trying to find the large Buddhist temple in the 800 years. Also, we do not know whether the local people forgot the wonder in the long period. It is thought that Borobudur was buried underground because of volcanic eruption in 1006 AD.

 

Reappearing

From 1811 AD to 1816 AD, Paulu Jawa was rule by Britain. British capatain, Raffles, loved the history of Paulu Jawa, communicated with the locals and collected the antiques of Jawa. He happened to hear that there was a hug Buddhist temple under the village in Jawa. Raffles’ subordinates found the Borobudur after digging. But Raffles’ subordinates did not find the whole Buddhist temple. It is Hartmann excavated the whole temple. But Hartmann did not record his excavation.

 

 

 

Architectural Design of Borobudur

Borobudur was designed as a huge Buddhist temple. The tower footing is a square. The tower body is also square of 5 floors. And the tower top is circular of 3 floors. Borobudur was built on the mountain, and its shape is similar to the Pyramids in Egypt.

 

There are about 2670 reliefs in Borobudur. 1460 of them describe the story of the Buddhas. And 1212 of them are decoration. There are big and small 432 Buddha in Borobudur.

 

 

Repairing

From 1907 to 1911, Borobudur was repaired for stability. The team excavated the ground surrounding the temple to look for the losing parts of the Buddha and slates. The team basically solved the problem of the stability. But they did not solve the problem of drainage.

 

The walls and reliefs were damaged because of the problem of drainage. From 1975 to 1982, the Borobudur was repaired by UNESCO. They fortified the building of tower footing, improved the sewerage system, disintegrated and put together. After that, Borobudur was basically repaired. And the cost of the repairing work to the Borobudur is 690,1243 USD in total. In 1991, the Borobudur was listed in to the World Cultural Heitage by UNESCO.

 

 

 

What to Expect in Borobudur

Admire the Largest Buddhist Temple in the World

As the largest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur is worth visiting if you come to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is 40 kilometers from the downtown of Yogyakarta, about 1 hour’s drive. It used to be forgotten by the people. But it stands here again. Walking on the stairs of Borobudur and seeing the exquisite reliefs, each slate seems to telling about their stories. And you will find the skills of the craftsmen of ancient Indonesia. It is one of the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia. And here you can experience the religious atmosphere and quietness of it.

 

 

Know about the History and Story of the Wonder

There are narrators at the Borobudur, who help you better know about the history and story of Borobudur. If you want a narrator who can speak your language, you can check with the staff there. If you are interested in the story of Borobudur and Buddhism in Indonesia, you can carefully listen to the explanation of the narrators.

 

Get Impressive Photos

After listening to the explanation of the narrators, you will have some time left. And you can take photos here. You can find some locations to get impressive photos. Borobudur is always a place of taking photos. The Buddhas and reliefs are the best background of the photos. Kindly reminder, wear clothes of light colors can get better photos at Borobudur.

 

 

Enjoy Sunrise or Sunset at the Borobudur

At Borobudur, you can have a panoramic view of the landscapes surrounding it at the stop of it. And you can also enjoy the stunning view of the sunrise or sunset at Borobudur. Seeing the sunrise at Borobudur is thought to be the purest thing. The whole Buddhist temple looks holy under the sunrise. Also, the sunset at the Borobudur is worth visiting if you do not want to get up early to catch the sunrise at Borobudur.

 

 

 

Travel Tips at Borobudur

• Dress properly is necessary since we should respect the culture, religion and customs of a country while we visiting.
• It is hot at Borobudur, please protect yourselves from the heat and sunshine.
• Please obey the rules of Borobudur like wearing the straw sandals before entering the Borobudur.
• You’d better purchase the ticket of Borobudur in advance to avoid that there is no tickets left on the day you plan to visit Borobudur.