Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is the largest temple in the world and is one of the 7 wonders of the world, Borobudur temple was founded in the heyday of Wangsa Syailendra more or less Around the 7th century AD, located in Magelang, Central Java province.

Borobudur Temple is located approximately 40 km northwest of Jogja, this temple is an offering from the king to followers of the Bhuda religion where it is at the same time a symbol of glory and a sign of power from Wangsa Syailendra.

This temple consists of six square-shaped levels on which there are three circular courtyards, on its walls decorated with 2,672 relief panels and originally there are 504 Buddha statues. Borobudur has the most complete collection of Buddhist reliefs in the world. The largest main stupa is located in the middle and becomes the crown of this building, surrounded by three circular lines, 72 hollow stupas in which a Buddha statue is sitting cross-legged in a perfect lotus position with the mudra (hand gesture) Dharmachakra mudra (turning the dharma wheel).

This building describes life and the state of the universe and is built as a holy place to glorify the Buddha as well as function as a place of pilgrimage to guide humanity to move from the realm of worldly lust to enlightenment and wisdom according to Buddhist teachings. The pilgrims enter through the east side and begin the ritual at the base of the temple by walking around this sacred building in a clockwise direction, while continuing to ascend to the next step through three levels of the realm in Buddhist cosmology. The three levels are Kāmadhātu (domain of lust), Rupadhatu (tangible domain), and Arupadhatu (intangible domain). In its journey the pilgrims walked through a series of aisles and stairs by witnessing no less than 1,460 beautiful relief panels engraved on the walls and fences of the balustrades.

According to historical evidence, Borobudur was abandoned in the 14th century as the influence of the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms on Java weakened and Islamic influences began to enter. The world began to realize the existence of this building since it was discovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who at the time was British Governor General of Java. Since then Borobudur has experienced a series of rescue and restoration efforts (repairs). The biggest restoration project was held in the period 1975 to 1982 with the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and UNESCO, then this historic site was included in the list of World Heritage Sites.

Borobudur is still used as a place of religious pilgrimage; every year Buddhists who come from all over Indonesia and abroad gather in Borobudur to commemorate Vesak Trisuci. In the world of tourism, Borobudur is the only tourist attraction in Indonesia that is most visited by tourists.