Borobodur
Borobodur Temple, one of the great wonders of the ancient world.
I think most travelers have their own personal "wish list" of places they want to see sooner or later. My own list has some familiar places on it, like the pyramids of Egypt, as well as some more obscure sights like Petra in Jordan. On the lesser-known side of the list was the ancient Buddhist temple of Borobodur in central Java. I first read about this man-made mountain more than 20 years ago, but only had the opportunity to fulfill my dream in 2002.
The nearest city to the present-day village of Borobodur is Yogyakarta, known as "Yogya" for short. Yogya is the main tourist destination for central Java, with many other sites near-by in addition to Borobodur. From Yogya, it takes about one hour to reach the main temple of Borobodur.
This pyramid-like structure is built on and around a natural hill. Construction was started sometime around the beginning of the 8th century. In plan, it resembles a tantric mandala with six square terraces supporting three circular ones. Its been called a three dimensional rendering of the Buddhist conception of the cosmos. The square terraces are covered with carved relief's that can be read as an "instruction manual" for attaining enlightenment.
The lowest terrace depicted scenes of the distractions of everyday life. These supposedly carnal scenes were later covered by stone, although some believe this was just a move to shore up the structure when it started to subside. Higher platforms depict scenes from the Buddha's life in rich detail. These are definitely worth taking the time to see. The entire "pilgrim's walk" around all the galleries totals almost three miles, so wear comfortable shoes!
The upper round terraces support 72 stone latticework stupas housing Buddha images. The heads of most are sadly missing. From the top, you have a view of the nearby mountains as well as mount Merapi in the distance. Borobodur is a truly unique monument. It doesn't match the scale of the temples of Angkor, but if you take the time to look closely at the details, and understand the story they tell, you will be impressed.
Not far from the main temple of Borobodur is a very small square Javanese style temple called Candi Pawon. The temple is not very remarkable and can easily be skipped.
A little further from Borobodur is Mendut Temple. Although its not very big, you shouldn't miss it. On the outside, this temple resembles the many Hindu temples of central Java, but inside you will find some of the most beautiful Buddha images in all of Java. Actually, there are three images. In the center is a seated Buddha, flanked on either side by two Bodhisattvas.