Borobudur (Ravindran a/l Munusamy 1106636)

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9^th – century Mahayana Buddist monument. It is located in Mangelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa.

Approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Yogyakarta and 86 kilometres west of Surakarta, Borobudur is located in an elevated are between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo.

During the restoration in the early 20th century, it was discovered that three Buddhist temples in the region, Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut, are positioned along a straight line. Borobudur is built as a single large stupa, and when viewed from above takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. The foundation is a square, approximately 118 metres on each side. It has nine platforms, of which the lower six are square and the upper three are circular. The upper platform features seventy-two small stupas surrounding one large central stupa. Each stupa is bell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorative openings. Statues of the Buddha sit inside the pierced enclosures.

If terms of Borobudur, it took the form of a step pyramid. The construction of stone pyramids is based on native beliefs that mountains and high places are the abode of ancestral spirits. Instead of being built on a flat surface, Borobudur is built on a natural hill.