Travel Photos Series#16-Stupas at The Borobudur Temple

Stupas

One of our magical moments in Year 2015 was experiencing the sunrise at the Borobudur Temple. I was always fascinated by the mysterious and sacred stupas that lined the temple ground. Each of them actually housed a Buddha in different meditating stances. Sadly, many of them had lost their heads, stolen by robbers who sold them at very high prices to collectors.

It is extremely fortunate the stupas are not easy to be moved by potential robbers and most of them are still left intact. It is a blessing as our generation and many to come will still get to witness these ancient heritages.

Photo taken on 18 March 2015. 

Related Posts: Travel to Borobudur Temple, Dawn at Borobudur Temple

2015 Wrap Up-Year of visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Year 2015 has been a great year for us and we nearly lost count of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we got to visit during our travel.

Borobudur

In March, we finally got ourselves to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the World. For those who have followed my blogs closely would know that I have been wanting to visit this religious site for the longest time. The plan had been postponed due to various reasons and being finally able to visit it was a fulfilling experience. I strongly recommend the sunrise experience if you visit Borobudur.

Prambanan Temples

We also got to visit another UNESCO World Heritage Site-The Prambanan Temples in the same trip. The ancient Hindu constructions made us felt like Dwarfs among the Giants. We paid a visit to the unpredictable Mount Merapi in a jeep tour and witnessed the destruction it has wreaked during it's past eruptions. The tours at the Sultan Palace (The Kraton) and Water Castle (Taman Sari) at Yogyakarta have given us an insight on the luxurious lifestyle of the royal families.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

I am very proud to mention on one of the newly-promoted UNESCO World Heritage sites that we re-visited in July. It was our very own Singapore Botanic Gardens. Though we have already visited it for numerous time, it was a special feeling to visit it with the new status. Congrats and a big thank again for those putting their utmost efforts to make this happen.

Kyoto and Nara

In November, we traveled to Osaka, Kyoto and Nara in Japan. This trip took us to more World Heritage Sites-Toda-Ji temple and Kasuga-taisha shrine in Nara, Kiyomizu-dera temple, Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji temple, Ryoan-ji temple and Tenryu-ji temple in Kyoto. These were on top of those not listed as World Heritage Sites but equally impressive temples and shrines like the Tofuku-ji temple and Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine. November end was a great time to visit Japan as we got to witness the beautiful autumn foliage at the temples and shrines gardens. More of these in my coming blogs.

Thanks for following my blogs and I wish everyone a Great Travel Year in 2016!!!