One cannot go to Jogja (or Jogjakarta/Yogyakarta) without visiting the magnificent Borobudur Temple. It is the biggest temple in the world & is the most visited tourist spot in Indonesia, with a majority being local tourists.
This Buddhist temple is a shrine to Buddha & a place for Buddhist pilgrimage, wherein pilgrims meditate on the different relief panels, going around the different levels until they reach the top. They estimate it to have taken around 75 years to build.
- Our first view of the temple was a dramatic one, from the parking lot of a nearby hotel. Our bus opted to park here because it is the nearest way to get to the temple, instead of the normal route which is a very long walk. I don’t advise for people with walking problems.
Relief panels & a headless Buddha. Going up Borobudur can be daunting, especially if you are not physically fit and in the scorching heat of summer. It's a good thing we went first thing in the morning on this last visit - and even then it was still pretty hot. I wore SPF 70 sunscreen on my face and body and still got a good tan. Don't forget to bring shades, hats, umbrellas and a hanky or tissue to mop-up the sweat. And retouching is a must after this cardio workout!
As we went up the temple, I noticed that the buddhas had different hand positions. The guide explained that there are 6 different hand positions or "mudras" that are symbolic, which is why it is different for Buddhas in different levels & facing different directions.
(L) There are almost 2,700 reliefs with exquisite details - some narrating stories, which the pilgrims meditate on, and some decorative. (R) This gargoyle is a water spout that serves as drainage.
This Buddha has been watching the landscape change since around the 9th century. There are a total of 504 Buddha statues in the temple.
Headless Buddha "looking" over the land. Of the original 504 statues, 43 are missing, and more than 300 are damaged - mostly missing heads. This is because of looting. The heads earn looters a hefty sum from wealthy buyers or museums.
It's sad that there are vandals that do not know what a rich heritage the Borobudur is. And how much work was put in to ensure that this World Heritage Site is still standing in all it's glory today. The last restoration by the Indonesian Government & UNESCO took 7 years and millions of dollars.
The surrounding view from the top is awe-inspiring
72 of these perforated stupas surround the central dome. Inside each stupa is a buddha.
(L) They say that if you touch the ring finger of the buddha inside the stupa, you can make a wish and it will come true. And that only those with pure hearts can reach the ring finger. (R) The only stupa that was kept open so you can see the buddha inside.
The central dome surrounded by stupas
Mystery surrounds the empty central stupa because it is not known if it was originally empty or housed a giant buddha which is now lost. The Dutchman who first discovered it kept no record and there are some who believed that he could have taken whatever was inside.
The long way down. One has to be extra careful not to be too awestruck at the scenery & gorgeous arches going down - some steps are quite high and tricky.
Beautiful Yellow flowers. I am amazed at how well-maintained the surrounding grounds & gardens are. They must have an army of gardeners.
On our way to see the museums (there are 3 apparently) we saw this train which takes people around. Would like to try it out next time!
A reconstruction of an ancient Indonesian ship. It is actually sea-worthy & was used recently for sea voyage to explore old Indonesian trade routes.
There was no picture-taking inside this museum, which showed the painstaking renovation of Borobudur. Outside were building blocks of the temple. Note that no mortar/cement was used to build the temple, only the joints between stones and the weight of layer upon layer of rock hold it together. Borobudur is basically like a gigantic Lego masterpiece. Amazing. During reconstruction, if they had to use a new rock to replace a missing or damaged one, they place a nail in the center it to signify that it is not an original part of the ancient structure.
wow. nothing like this in california. hahaa! awesome photos Diplowife!
Thanks sweety! You should come visit! =)
Your photos are beautiful! I haven’t visited Jogja and I would love to go visit. Your blog post mixer (I don’t know the real name) on the top part of your blog is cool. The idea of allowing the old posts to be reintroduced to your readers is excellent!
Thanks Kaho! That’s one of the main reasons I chose this template! (I think it’s called a slider?) There are more like it in Elegant Themes. You should check out the available themes they have you wouldn’t believe how creative and beautiful they are! I am so impressed that I affiliated with them because it’s also the cheapest package i’ve found. The link is in my sidebar on the right. Let me know what you think!
Thanks for the compliment on my photos. I am happy that you like them because this trip to Borobodur was my first time to use my DSLR! I’m happy I was able to take such photos!
I am currently in Jogja – it’s my 4th time! But when I can I always go because there are soooo many interesting things to see and I love shopping here. It’s SO much cheaper to get stuff here than Jakarta! I love buying pure silk batik, lulur, home decor, antiques and gorgeous paintings! Seriously! Paintings from Jogja artist that are being sold from 10M in Jakarta can be found here for less than 2M! Also remember our L-shaped couch? I got it from a furniture store here for about 3.5M! Can you believe it?
I am currently highlighting Jogja because I am here right now! For a week of R&R and shopping =)
Dear Dw,
I did some research on borobudur and it is the worlds biggest buddhist temple. The worlds biggest temple is the Angkor Wat at cambodia it is a indian temple Quite same to the prambanan temple in jogja it is a temple built for the lord Vishnu the god who protects mankind.Shiva is the destroyer and lord bhramma is the creator. what makes me feel excited is that both The greatest temples were built under the influence of great buddha followers and the great great indian hindu kings who originated from India and established their culture in the east asia . Buddha is from India he was born as a hindu and we indians are very proud that our ancestors left great masterpiece around the asia.
What makes me feel sad is that all these monuments in other countries are all well protected and well maintained inspite of all the natural diasters like earth quake,volcanoes. But we have great holy places and great temples and palaces not being looked after well . India is on ride of corruption feel very sad. these days the politicians are ruining the fame of our country.
I would love to go one day to phillipines to learn about your culture. We dint actually go to the museum and i feel bad about that and i dint see the remains.
Mr. Raffles did a good job and he also found Singpaore as the natural harbour. Given a wish i would love to live my life in the kings age. i would love to see how the pyramids were made what is the reason it was built, and all the great temples around the world.
Hi Padmajas, if I recall correctly Borobodur is the biggest single structure temple in the world, whereas Ankor Wat on the other hand is made up of several temples. So Borobodur is quite impressive that it is a single temple structure.
Sad to hear… I feel like the same thing is happening to us, but mainly because our lands are ravaged by typhoons.
It’s always nice to get all these interesting info from you. Thank you so much!