Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist monument and one of its seven wonders, goes back to the 8th century AD, when Central Java was under the rule of the mighty Shailendra dinasty. The perfection of its architectural plan and the striking beauty of the reliefs, its majestic atmosphere never cease to amaze me. The Borobudur visually reflects the beautiful fusion of Indic and indigenous themes that characterized the ancient Indo-Javanese civilization.

This site has survived volcanic eruptions, catastrophical earthquakes, heavy tropical rainfalls, and the scorching tropical sun. When it was rediscovered by the Dutch, it was little more than a hill covered by the forest; after years of work, it has been restored to a form closer to its original magnificence. Situated in a panoramic valley overlooking two volcanoes at some 60 km from the town of Yogyakarta, it is visited by an average of 2 millions of tourists per year.
 

The meaning and simbology of the Borobudur still remain unclear. It is likely that it general plan reflects the teachings of the Vajrayana or Tantric school of Buddhism, being shaped in the form of a gigantic mandala featuring a complex numerology and soteriological concepts rendered visually in stone. The visitor can pursue the sacred ascensional path that symbolically leads from the lower Kamaloka, the realm of desires, to the paramount Nirvana, the realm of the Void.

This concept is reflected in the reliefs: rich and mundane on the lower walls, more ethereal and sacred in theme in the upper corridors, until the final stages where only bell-shaped stupas are present. Inside each one of them there is a statue portraying a Buddha deeply immersed in meditation.

The site is best visited early in the morning, before the scorching heat and the hordes of tourists coming from Yogya. The dawn offers a spectacular view, and it is worth an early wake-up. At week-ends the site is full of Indonesian students, coming from the remotest corners of East Java, with the aim of speaking English with every foreigner they could find. I was told that their teachers organize these day-trips as a sort of exercise before a scheduled exam.

Not far from the main site there are two other minor temples, Candi Pawon and Candi Mendut. Inside a niche of the latter there are three beautiful sandstone Bodhisattvas, rightly considered to be among the masterpieces of ancient Javanese sculpture.

The best thing to do is to overnight here in the village (there are a few cheap and nice guesthouses right in front of the monument), hire a bicycle, visit the minor temples and explore a little bit around. The  highlight of the place is in fact to get a glance of the typically Javanese rural life nearby. Just a few hundred meters away from the Borobudur, the "touristic" atmosphere fades away and the Javanese dimension begins. Here everybody cheer at you, uttering the unavoidable HELLO MISTEEERR!

Not to miss is the view of the monument from the lush-green rice fields, intermingled with palm trees. The beauty of the valley is a perfect setting for that jewel of stone that is Borobudur.