Borobudur Temple Yogyakarta

The ancient Buddhist site of Borobudur immediately attracted my attention when I first learned of it. It sat at the front of my mind willing itself to be. After careful consideration and planning, Briana managed to figure out how to make it be, and so we found ourselves at the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, surrounded by pristine rainforest.

Borobudur Temple Yogyakarta | Rising From the Jungle

Rising above the mist and fog of the south-central Javan jungle, lies the ancient stone temple of Borobudur. While no written record exists for what is the world’s largest Buddhist temple, construction inscriptions and carved reliefs date the structure to sometime around 800 CE. At this time, the Sailendra dynasty of the Srivijayan Empire was at the peak of its power. Estimates put its construction at taking 75 years to complete.

 

During this period of time, there was relative harmony, and even confusion amongst the religions of the region: Hinduism and Buddhism. The rules of the region frequently patronized both religions and allowed for grand temples of both to flourish.

 

Lost To History

Around 1000 CE, nearby Mt. Merapi (a still very active volcano today) had many large scale eruptions, which led to the Javan King Mpu Sindok moving the capital of the Medang Kingdom to the East Java region. So began the decay of the region over the following centuries, with it’s last written acknowledgment being in 1365.

Once Islam made its way through Indonesia in the 15th century, Borobudur was all but lost to the jungle and volcanic ash. And so the temple slowly crumbled and was swallowed by the jungle, only known by locals vaguely as a man-made mountain of stone and gained a superstitious reputation for bad luck and misery – often associated with death.

Rediscovered

The British captured Java in 1811 and appointed Lieutenant Governor-General Thomas Stamford Raggles as Governor of Java. He was deeply interested in the history of Java and was informed of a monument deep in the jungle. He commissioned an expedition. Within two months, trees and vegetation were removed to reveal the temple in poor shape, but standing nonetheless.

In 1835, Dutch administrator Hartmann continued work on unearthing the monument and performing investigations on the monument. The first photograph was taken in 1872 of the temple, and appreciation for the monument grew, as it slowly turned into a tourist attraction.

Badly In Need Of Restoration

The Dutch army began restoration of the site in 1902, primarily to protect the foundation and corners. Other projects included providing proper drainage for the temple and removing loose and disfigured stones. Restoration continued with a halt during WWII.

The monument was not doing well though in the 1950s, and Professor Soekmono launched the “Save Borobudur” campaign. A complete overhaul of the monument began in 1975, during which stones were properly reset, cleaned, and fortified. Over a million stones were dismantled, cleaned and cataloged before being put back together. Borobodur was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

Arriving At Borobudur

For us, Borobudur was one of the primary reasons to visit Yogyakarta. Our homestay was located just a few kilometers south of the temple and was quite easy for us to access. Our host allowed us to borrow his motorbike and we took an easy ride to the grounds. We parked out front of the temple for IDR 5,000 Rupiah (~$0.40).

Approaching the ticket building, we became the targets of several vendors, which we ignored. One tried to sell us some water – don’t buy it, you’ll get some later. The entry gate has two sides, the right side is for locals and the left is for internationals.

The price is more for foreigners at 240,000 IDR each (~$18.00), however, it feels appropriate as the grounds are very well-kept. Included in the price, you will be given a free water bottle and offered tea or coffee. We elected for just the water bottles which sufficed for our stay. If you wish to see the sunrise, you will need to pay 500,000 IDR each, as they will take you to the top before the official opening of the site.

You must also pass through a small security check-point. It is not major, just a simple bag check. This has been implemented since ISIS made a bomb threat to the site a few years ago, though nothing has happened, fortunately.

Well Manicured Paths Abound

Once paying and passing through security, we began our walk up through the well-manicured lawns and gardens towards the towering temple. As we made our way towards the volcanic stone structure, we began to fully realize the immense size of the structure.

Climbing The Structure

We walked around the base of the structure before making our way up the structure. The temple is made up of multiple levels: six square levels and three rounds levels at the top. It is made this way to symbolize the realms of Buddhist cosmology:

• Kamadhatu – the world of desires
• Rupadhatu – the world of forms
• Arupadhatu – the formless world

The first four levels, which make up the Kamadhatu and Rupadhatu levels, contain highly intricate bas-relief sculptures, considered to be some of the best in the Buddhist world. These sculptures, which number into the thousands, depict 8th-century Javanese life from hermits to merchants to royalty.

As well, images of mythical beings such as Asuras, Gods, Bodhisattvas, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, and Apsaras cover the walls while lions and gargoyles guard the ramparts.

We walked around each level, before ascending to the next, taking in the relief sculptures along the way. In Buddhist practices, this is called circumambulation.

Reach Enlightenment At The Peak

Once we reached the top three levels, the structure changed. There were no more relief sculptures, everything was smooth, and instead of square, everything was circular. Stupas, each containing a figure of Buddha circled a central stupa.

For Some, We Were The Attraction

This area was quite crowded, and we even found ourselves to be part of the attraction. A few high school aged kids approached us and asked if they could take a picture with us. After they broke the ice, we spent the next twenty minutes being bombarded by local children wanting to take pictures with us.

It was kind of crazy. While many tourists make it to Borobudur, they are usually Indonesian or from other nearby Asian countries, so we stood out from the crowds.

After a short rest at the top, and admiring the views of the surrounding countryside, we made our way down the temple to see what else the grounds had to offer us.

Get Caught In The Rain

We began to make our way up a hill just off to the side from us. From atop Borobudur earlier, we had seen what looked like a small pagoda, so now we made a point to try and get to that hill. Along the way up, we passed by what looked like some form of a museum, but it cost an additional fee and we weren’t particularly feeling like spending more money than we already had that day. We did run into two kitties, so Briana, of course, made the effort to give them some water for a few minutes.

The sky above us was starting to darken, so we decided to push on to get the top of the hill before it would rain. The paved path was easy enough to follow up and within a few minutes, we were at the top. It was a small covered platform that stood before a small circular clearing, surrounded by plants. Almost at the moment, we reached the top, it suddenly started to pour. We real quick grabbed our ponchos and ran under the shelter the pagoda provided.

I had assumed that the storm would pass quickly. So we sat and watched the rain come down and the lightning flash. After about twenty minutes, it seemed to have only barely lightened on the rain, so we decided to make our way down the hill wearing our ponchos.

We got a little wet, but it was ok. We really wish we could have seen the temple during the downpour, as some of the rock carvings were clearly designed as water spouts. Nonetheless, we proceeded on to the Borobudur Ship Museum.

Borobudur Ship Museum

The museum sits a little off to the side from the temple, showcasing Java’s, and specifically Yogyakarta’s maritime history. The centerpiece of the museum is a reconstruction of a Borobudur ship.

In 2003 it took a historical route from Indonesia to Madagascar and then on to Ghana – the ancient Cinnamon Route. Borobodur ships are depicted in bas relief on the temple itself and are large double outrigger maritime vessels from the 8th century.

Finish Off With A Bite To Eat

After finishing the museum, we made our way to get some food. Connected to the Borobudur complex is the Manohara hotel. It is a wonderful hotel and reasonably priced at around $85 a night. But we budget travel, so that was outside our price range.

That being said, the restaurant is open to everyone and is very reasonably priced. While it’s not local prices, the “tourist prices” for most plates were still only between $3 and $5.

The restaurant has outdoor seating in multiple pavilions and a wide range of food, with numerous Indonesia specialties. Ultimately, we came back to the restaurant three times during our one week stay at our Airbnb. The restaurant afforded wonderful views of the temple and a great finish to our day.

Prepare for your Day at Borobudur

While you can easily just show up to Borobudur and start seeing the sights, there are many things that you can do ahead of time to ensure that your visit is the best one you can possibly have. So we’ve gathered a quick list to help get you on the right track.

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• Travel Pack – Carrying the right pack can make a huge difference while out. Our Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Travel Pack will help ensure you get off on the right foot.
• Water Bottles – Collapsible Water Bottles – These are some of our favorite items to bring with us. They’re really light-weight and you can also roll them up so you can store them away easily. If there is one item that is most important to bring with you, it is water.
• Hiking Clothes – You wouldn’t think of this as a hike at first, but really you’re covering a lot of distance and you are totally exposed. The temple is completely open and there isn’t much shade. Keeping yourself covered can really help. A recent addition to my wardrobe has made a big difference. For him | For her
• Raingear – Obviously, it poured on us while visiting, and it came out of nowhere. Being the tropics, you can expect this kind of weather at any time. I really like this jacket because it’s light enough to wear without getting hot, but if it’s cool out it will also keep you from getting chilled. As a plus, it folds into itself making it very easy to carry or pack. For him | For her
• First-aid Kit – You really need to be prepared for anything when hiking, which means you need to be prepared for injury. We don’t often get hurt, but we have. You never know what could happen so you should always carry a basic first aid kit to be able to patch up whatever may happen. First-Aid Kit
• Sun Screen – If you don’t cover up with clothes, then you should wear sunscreen. We’ve used these and we haven’t been burned since, plus they are allowed in carry-on luggage. TSA Approved Sunscreen
• Bug Repellant – The tropical jungles of Indonesia are hotbeds for mosquitos and their diseases. We like to use wipes so that we can effectively get any exposed spots without having to spray noxious gases everywhere. Off! Deep Woods Towelettes

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