Borobudur: The World's Largest Buddhist Monument

A view of the Borobudur Temple in the foreground as the sun rises over the surrounding mountains in the distance

Located in Java, Indonesia, the Borobudur Temple Compounds was built in the 8th and 9th centuries during the reign of the Syailendra Dynasty. The pilgrimage and UNESCO World Heritage Site resembles the shape of a lotus, a sacred flower in Buddhism.

Borobudur consists of three different monuments that span 63 acres—the main temple and two smaller ones, Pawton Temple and Mendut Temple. All three symbolize the path a person takes in order to achieve Nirvana.

Many design elements of the compounds are connected to Buddhist spiritual beliefs. According to UNESCO, “the ten mounting terraces of the entire structure correspond to the successive stages that the Bodhisattva has to achieve before attaining to Buddhahood.” Bodhisattva is any person who is on the path towards Buddhahood.

Three tiers surrounding a hill comprise the main structure of the temple. The tiers reflect the Buddhist cosmology of the universe. Buddhist beliefs split the universe into three spheres — the sphere of desire (kamadhatu), the sphere of forms (rupadhatu), and the sphere of formlessness (arupadhatu).

The monument has 504 statues of Buddha—the most of any site in the world.

Buddhists regularly used the Borobudur Temple as a place of worship from the 10th to 15th century. Active use of the monument ceased in the 15th century perhaps because of the population’s conversion to Islam. After that, the monument lay hidden for centuries following a series of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and jungle growth.

Borobudur was rediscovered in the 19th century during the British administration of Java.

In 1973, UNESCO funded a major restoration of the monument, and Borobudur has once again become a place of worship and pilgrimage. It remains the most visited attraction in Indonesia.


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Borobudur Temple Compounds