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

Travel to Borobudur Temple

Buddha Statue and Stupa at Borobudur

The first time I saw Borobudur was from the television many years back. I was fascinated by the fact that such an ancient and unique structure still existed in our world. After doing research, I began to understand more on this UNESCO World Heritage site.

The monument was built in the 9th century(older than the Angkor Wat at Cambodia!) and dedicated to Buddhism. It was said to be abandoned in the 14th century during the Javanese conversion from Buddhism to Islam. It was later found by Sir Stamford Raffles (the one who found Singapore also!) and restoration on the structure has been performed till today. You can find more information on the Borobudur at this site.

The Borobudur was situated at a precarious location. It is located in an elevated area between two twin volcanoes-Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi. Mount Merapi has erupted a number of times in recent years. The most recent one was in Year 2010. But fortunately, all these had not drastically impacted it's structure.

Prambanan Temple

After many delays (including the Mount Kelud's eruption last year which caused the compound to be shut off as it was being affected by the volcanic ashes), I finally embarked to visit this prestigious temple in March. We would travel to the Javanese City of Yogyakarta and made our way to Borobudur. During our journey, we also explored Prambanan-a collection of gigantic Hindu Temples, got close within the active volcano-Mount Merapi and more. For those interested, you can take a look at my itinerary below.

Day 1-Adisucipto International Airport-Prembanan Temple-Borodudur Temple
Day 2-Borobudur Temple (Sunrise)-Mount Merapi-Yogyakarta
Day 3-The Kraton (Sultan Palace)-Taman Sari (Water Castle)-Maliaboro
Day 4-Adisucipto International Airport-Return to Singapore      

Watch out as I relate my adventure in Central Java and it's ancient temples and volcanoes in my coming blogs!

I use yogyadriver for my trip around Yogyakarta. Write a comment and drop your email address (I will reply you) at the comment column below to enjoy up to 10% discount off the normal rate if you decide to use their service.

Related Posts: The Prambanan Temple, Dawn at Borobudur Temple

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