Quote: The Indonesian island of Java is home to one of the most famous ancient sites of the world, namely the Buddhist temple of Borobudur, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list (see link). The history of the temple is unclear, but most historians situate the construction date around 800AD during the reign of the Buddhist Saliendra kingdom. Two hundred years later the temple fell into decline due to a political power shift to the east of the island. It was only rediscovered by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the English governor of Java and founder of Singapore, in the beginning of the 19th century. Its restoration was delayed by political tensions between English and Dutch, and it was only after Indonesian independence from the Netherlands that a full restoration plan was proposed by the government, partly funded by UNESCO. Nowadays, the temple can again be admired in its full glory.

The temple is located on a small hill in a fertile valley of the Merapi volcanic range. Due to its location, it can be seen already from quite a distance away. It resembles a step pyramid, with a square base of 120m. Its height is only about 35m and the temple does not have a clear inside. It is meant to be climbed on the side by the faithful. The temple is built as a seven-story stupa. There is one entrance gate for each of the four compass points. The four lower stories are constructed as a gallery, with the stone walls nicely carved with reliefs depicting the life of the Buddha and other saints. The three upper stories, constructed as terraces with beautiful views on the surrounding mountain range, do not contain carvings anymore, but instead they contain 72 stupa shapes around one huge central stupa. All these small stupas contain a Buddha statue inside, which you can see through holes in them. A few of them are opened to be able to have a peek inside to see the statues in all their glory.

Borobudur is located 40km northwest of Yogyakarta. The easiest way to come here is with a tourist bus or minibus (bemo) from Yogyakarta. You should be able to book one in the bus station (better price than a travel agent in town) for less than 100,000Rp (around €8). Getting here by public transport is difficult, because there is only a tiny village next to the temple complex, and means changing buses or bemos a few times. It's best to foresee the whole day for your visit. Entrance to the park was $7, but apparently it recently changed to $10, a reasonable price for such a famous sight! There are a few hawker stands selling basic food in case you might get hungry, and many persistent sellers, trying to sell you bottles of water (better bring your own) or books on Borobudur. Just ignore them and eventually they will go away. Once inside the temple, they are not allowed in anymore.

From journals The Most Populous Island in the World