The Majestic Borobudur Temple

The Borobudur temple is located in Yogyakarta, Central Java and was built around 750 AD under the control of the Syailendra dynasty, which ruled Java for at least 5 centuries. This temple is one of the most famous historical monuments in the world. It is a 9th century symmetrical stupa consisting of 4 different stairways and 9 platforms that make up 3 tiers, leading up to the peak of the temple. These levels convey the steps towards evolution, according to Buddhist beliefs. The temple consists of 504 buddha statues and reliefs that convey a story, beautifully carved onto the stone walls. The story tells us about life on earth in the lower levels of the temple and gradually tells the story about life in heaven as you make your way up to the top. It also shows the relationship between people and animals in the 9th century. The reliefs cover a whopping total surface area of 2500 meter square.

It took more than 75 years to build this temple. Unfortunately, after the people of Indonesia started shifting their beliefs away from Buddhism and into the Islam religion during the 10th century, the Borobudur temple was abandoned and left to decay. Years later, the temple was rediscovered by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the british ruler of Java at the time, hidden under volcanic remains in the jungle. It became the only Indonesian UNESCO world heritage site in 1991 and has undergone numerous restoration projects since the 1970s.

The Borobudur temple is said to have been painted with various different colors when it was first made. However, due to decay and erosion throughout the decade, its colorations have faded to a dull grey shade. The borobudur faced a major threat when nine bombs caused an explosion which destroyed 9 stupas in 1985. The perpetrators faced 10 to 20 years of imprisonment and their leader, Husein Ali Al Habsyie (a blind muslim preacher) was sentenced to a life-long imprisonment.

Furthermore, the temple was also affected to a great extent by the volcanic eruption of Gunung Merapi in 2010. A layer of volcanic ash covered the temple and destroyed some of the temple statues, also killing nearby vegetations. Luckily, UNESCO helped a great deal in the rehabilitation process of the temple through mass donations.

The word ‘Borobudur’ itself is believed to come from a sanskrit word, “Vihara Buddha Uhr”, which means “Buddhist monastery on a hill” in English (according to wikipedia). However, as I was visiting Yogyakarta, I hiked onto a mountain and saw that Borobudur is situated on a valley and is surrounded by mountains, hence contradicting the claims that Borobudur sits on a hill. Other theorists and archaeologists also speculate, under the ancient lake hypothesis, that Borobudur used to be surrounded by a lake. This theory is yet to be proven as scientists are continually gathering soil samples to determine if aquatic vegetations grew near the temple.

Although it was really crowded and tiring to climb up all those stairs, I had a really fun time learning about the history of Borobudur and admiring the detailed carvings on the wall. In addition, there were lots of cheap souvenirs such as traditional clothings, keychains, toys and hats that you can by from locals around the temple. Moreover, there are also great eats around the temple such as ‘Stupa Restaurant by Plataran’ and ‘TasteJava’. Both restaurants serve tasty local food that cannot be found elsewhere. Yogyakarta is filled with culture, heritage, and adventure; and borobudur is definitely a huge contributor to that. If you ever plan on visiting Yogyakarta, your travel would be incomplete without visiting this beautiful temple!