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Situated merely 42km north-west of Yogyakarta and five
kilometers from Magelang, the village of Borobudur is home
to the largest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere,
one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in Southeast Asia,
and one of the seven man-made wonders of the world - the
temple sanctuary of Borobudur.
The temple structure itself was erected sometime between
750 and 850 AD by the rulers of the Central Javanese Sailendra
Dynasty, and today is one of Indonesia's single most popular
and lucrative tourists attractions.
Viewed from the ground, Borobudur is shaped in the form
of a massive symmetrical stupa that envelops the underlying
hill, and stands on a base of 200 square meters.
Three circular terraces top six square ones, with four stairways
leading up through finely carved gateways to the top. Borobudur's
sheer bulk is impressive, but it is the close-up sculptural
detail that regularly astonishes visitors.
The five-kilometer-long pilgrim's walk starts at the main
eastern gateway and is decorated with nearly 1,500 relief
panels of Buddhist doctrines as well as many aspects of
ancient Javanese life.
The sensation of total serenity surrounding Borobudur has
not changed for over a thousand years, and the more sensitive
souls realize exactly what ancient architects had striven
so long to achieve.
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