Asia is full of ancient temples and structures.
There’s the grand Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the thousands of temples and pagodas spread in the Bagan plains in Burma, the rich Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, and numerous other beautiful and impressive works of art throughout Asia that remain standing through centuries.
An hour from the city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, however, stands the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, Candi Borobodur (candi means “temple,” equivalent to the wat in Cambodia). It is a single structure built in 750 AD with over 500 statues of Buddha and around 1,500 bas relief panels showing his life and teachings.
Some of the 72 stupas (L) and Buddha (R) in the circular terrace of Borobudur.
Proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, Borobudur’s name means either “a mountain having terraces” or “monastery on a high place.” It was built with ten terraces symbolizing the life stages. To reach enlightenment, one must go through each stage until the top level (where Buddha sits) is reached.
The first six terraces are square and form the temple’s base, the second level has three circular platforms, while the last serves as the main dome, with a giant stupa (a stupa is a dome-shaped structure used to house Buddhist relics) on top. There are 72 other stupas around the circular terraces, and most have a statue of a kneeling Buddha inside. A lot of them, however, are damaged.
One aspect of Borobudur, the biggest Buddhist temple.
The base of Borobudur, which has been closed off to provide a stronger foundation, is called the Kamadhatu (world of desire). Its 160 panels depict how man is ruled by lust and how karma works. Since it has been closed off, only a few of these bas relief can be seen.
The second level is called the world of forms, or Ruphadatu. It symbolizes the way people are still influenced by appearances and shapes. The panels in this level depict stories of the life of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, based on the manuscripts of Jataka-Avadana, Lalitavistara, and Gandavyuha.
The third level is called Arupadhatu, or the world of formlessness. The circular structure symbolizes eternity, with no beginning and no end. The Buddha statues here are inside the stupa, representing the freedom of humans from desire and forms. At the top is Buddha, symbolizing the attainment of nirvana, a complete peace with the world and total freedom from suffering.
How to go to Borobudur Temple: There are many travel agencies in Yogyakarta arranging trip packages not only to Borobudur, but also to nearby Candi Prambanan. It is recommended to hire a vehicle, as there is no public transport going to the temple. Locals pay Rp 17,500 while foreign tourists have to pay USD$19 each. A bottle of water or a cup of coffee is included in the rate. Best time to see it is at sunrise.
Aleah Taboclaon is a location independent writer, editor, and the travel blogger behind Solitary Wanderer. She's partial to slow travel, and prefers extreme adventures like hiking and caving over sightseeing. She likes running (completed one marathon, training for the next!), diving (PADI open water diver), and traveling with her Kindle. Follow her on Instagram and Pinterest!
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29 Comments. Leave new
Definitely one of the highlights of any trip to Java. The place is just magical, especially at sunrise.
@ Traveller Sam: Let me know, I’d be glad to help!
Absolutley agree! Borobudur is magical! One of the greatest places i’ve ever visited.
Love your Blog! Keep up the good work
I’m coming to the philippines very soon. Would love to talk to you about an itinerary so i can have a rough plan
🙂
Yong USD 19 round trip na yon?
the biggest temple is really splendid. thanks for information and the photos are really great
I thought Borobudur was amazing. However, what is it with all the people harassing English speaking tourists to give them an English lesson? I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it really was weird, and aggravating. I like talking to locals, but this was way beyond that.
We are often in Bali but don’t seem to travel any further in Indonesia. One day we must do so and Borobudur is certainly one place I would like to see. the history of it must be fascinating
Beautiful! It still amazes me to see these SE Asian mega temples. I can imagine how splendid they look in person. I really need to go explore SE Asia more. I saw this temple on the TV show Amazing Race and my mouth dropped. I think they had to count the number of Buddhas.
What an amazing site. Your bottom photo really gives you the scale of things.
By far the best I have seen on photos and i wanted to go there in the future.
Hope to see you on the road Aleah 🙂
Wow! A place I need to add to the travel list. It looks amazing.
Wow! I’ve been to Angkor Wat and loved the art there, I would have to spend DAYS at this one!!
Nice writeup, Aleah. I’ll be adding Borobudur to my list.
@ Jackie Smith: Thanks 😉
@ Debbie: That’s us travelers; our bucket list is never done!
Even though I’m not particularly religious, I do visit and enjoy quite a few churches and other religious buildings during my travels. I’ve never made it to a Buddhist Temple but his one seems amazing! My list just got bigger too.
Wow! Another one for my ever-growing bucket list. Beautiful photos.
@ Muza-chan: Thanks!
@ Michele: You live in Penang, right? At least you’re in the same time zone 🙂 Yup, I’m sure your children would really love to see this ‘candi’! 😀
I haven’t heard of this place and will have to put it on my ever-growing list. If we go, I think I’ll just tell my kids we’re going to the biggest Candi in the world. That should intrigue them. LOL
Great photos 🙂
@ Lavender_Tulip: Can you believe I’ve never been to Macau or HK? 😀 Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and yes, hope to see you in CS meet-ups too!
@ Ipungmbuh: I haven’t been to that temple yet, would try to visit it when I go back to Indonesia. And yes, hopefully I can see you in Jakarta too!
If you like temple, you must come to Arjuna temple in Dieng Plateu. It really beautiful.
I live in Jakarta, call me if you want to go there. Salam dari Indonesia 🙂
hi Aleah! i’ve just updated my account in CS and i saw your profile. I haven’t attended any CS gathering yet but i’m planning to travel to macau & hongkong this coming october. this will be my very 1st ever out of the country and i’ll be travelling solo. backpackers like you inspires me to travel and learn different culture and meet different people from different walks of life. Thank you for sharing your travel experiences with us. hope to meet up with you in one of the CS gatherings someday. 🙂
@ Marisol: Love your blog too! It makes me long to go back to Europe, esp to Santorini 🙂 Thanks for dropping by my blog!
@ The Wander Dude: Well, it’s better if you go visit it 🙂
Yay! I’ve always wondered what this place was since I was a kid.
Hi Aleah, just stumbled in your blog via Lakwatsero.me. Found your blog pretty interesting. Love this post on Borobodur. It inspire me to visit it soon.
@ Reiza: Don’t forget to visit Prambanan Temple as well when you’re there 🙂
@ Red: There’s lots of wonderful places like this in Asia!
I’m a sucker for world exclusive things, and this one looks fascinating!! Once I’m done with OZ, it’s on my list for sure!!
Thanks for this, Aleah! I’m currently plotting another backpacking trip, and this gave me an idea of where to go. 🙂