Borobudur

Borobudur is a massive 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple situated in Central Java, Indonesia. It is located in the Kedu Valley, an area surrounded by twin volcanoes and revered as a sacred landscape.

Borobudur was largely abandoned and hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and dense jungle growth. It was rediscovered in 1814 during the British occupation of Java by Thomas Stamford Raffles, the then-Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

The monument features a massive mandala design, utilizing six square platforms topped by three circular platforms. It is heavily decorated with 2,672 relief panels and originally housed 504 statues of the Buddha.

Pilgrims and tourists access the monument via a system of staircases and corridors, intended to guide visitors through ascending levels of Buddhist cosmology. At the very top, the central spire sits at an elevation of roughly 1,200 meters above sea level.