Borobudur, in the central highlands of Java, is the largest Buddhist shrine in the world. Its name means ‘Temple of the Countless Buddhas.’ Seen from above, it resembles some strange birthday cake. It its early days, painted white, it would have looked like a celestial city.
The sheer profusion of bell-shaped domes, statues of Buddha and other carvings make this stone pyramid striking to the eye. Built in the 8th to 9th century, it fell into neglect around the year 1000. It was rediscovered in 1815, and later rescued from the volcanic ash and vegetation that concealed it.
Its base is not visible from the top, and vice versa. The temple was a symbol of the ascent through worldliness to the heights of enlightenment, in which the seeker would be unable to see what existed at the worldly desire, malevolence, malicious joy, indolence, and doubt. When the seeker reached the top, earlier stages of nonperfection would no longer be visible.
Borobudur was originally intended as a centre of pilgrimage, a kind of Buddhist Mecca. The path to the summit of the temple was designed as a clockwise path of pilgrimage. Its main frieze, decorated with 1400 stone carvings, is 5 kilometres long, a narrative of the road to nirvana, with incidents from the lives of the Buddha and of other bodhisattvas.
The site of Borobudur was obviously chosen because of its location amid mountains in a natural paradise. In the distance can be seen the volcano, whose eruption covered the site in volcanic ash, hiding it for many years.
Borobudur Temple Compounds > Indonesia tourist destinations, attractions and landmarks > UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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