Remembering Borubudur

One of the World Wonder Heritage Sites, Borubudur is 42km northwest of Yogyakarta, initially constructed between 750 and 842 AD (300 years before Cambodia's Angkor Wat!)

Built by King Samaratungga, it has 6 square terraces and 3 circular terraces with 72 small stupas, each of it has a Buddha statue inside.

On top of it is where the great stupa where the Buddha statue is located facing the west, representing Nirvana.

Every terrace symbolizes stages in life, and hence anyone who wishes to attain the level of Buddha must go through every stage. This means one has to walk through at least 5 kilometers of open air corridors whose walls have intricately carved relief panels depicting Buddhist doctrines and 9th century Javanese life.

A massive restoration project began from 1905 to 1910 led by Dr. Tb. van Erp. UNESCO aided the second restoration from August 1913 to 1983.


one of those times when one feels so small, at the sight of something so grand

the intricate carvings on the wall