Here's your tryst with history that will also present itself as a great spot for photography. Welcome to Borobudur Temple Compounds, which is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world, and was built in the 8th and 9th centuries AD during the reign of the Syailendra Dynasty. The monument is located in the Kedu Valley at the centre of the island of Java in Indonesia.
Ancient cosmology
The vertical division of Borobudur Temple into base, body, and superstructure is considered in sync with the conception of the Universe in Buddhist cosmology. According to it, the universe is divided into three superimposing spheres, kamadhatu, rupadhatu, and arupadhatu, representing the sphere of desires where we are bound to our desires, the sphere of forms where we abandon our desires but are still bound to name and form, and the sphere of formlessness where there is no longer either name or form.
This outstanding monument of the Syailendra Dynasty was once used as a Buddhist Temple from its construction until sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries when it was abandoned. Since its re-discovery in the 19th century and restoration in the 20th century, it has been brought back into a Buddhist archeological site.
Wow! factor: Borobudur complex has the Borobudur Temple and two smaller shrines called Mendut and Pawon Temples
Buddha’s blessings: Borobudur Temple in Megalang, Indonesia is a popular tourist site
Calm & happy: One of the ideal places to watch the sunrise in peace is at the Borobudur Temple premises in Magelang
ET Bureau
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