Indonesia’s Borobudur: World’s largest Buddhist temple and a work of marvel

It ranks with Burma’s Bagan and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat as one of the greatest archaeological sites of South East Asia. It is Indonesia’s most visited tourist attraction. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is influenced by Mahayana Buddhism, indigenous Indonesia ancestor worship and Hinduism. It is the world’s largest Buddhist temple and a true work of marvel. I am talking about Indonesia’s famous Borobudur temple that is home to one of the largest and most complete ensembles of Buddhist reliefs in the world.



Built in the 9th century under the reign of the Sailendra dynasty, Borobudur is a giant of a temple. It consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped a central dome. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Built using Javanese Buddhist temple architecture, this place for Buddhist pilgrimage is a treat to the eye and tells many stories.



The journey starts at the bottom of the massive temple and goes all the way to the top through stairways and corridors, each decorated with beautiful relief panels on its walls and balustrades. Out of the 9 floors, the bottom three represent desires, the middle three represent forms and the top three represent formlessness. And beyond these nine floors are the volcanoes of Merbabu and Merapi and the lush green cover in between. All making for a fantastic climb to the top of Borobudur.



This journey through the city of Buddhas tells you many stories – Buddha’s past lives, Buddha’s path to enlightenment, the birth of Buddha, the jatakas and avadanas, the law of Karma, the three realms of Buddhist cosmology, the 6 different postures of Buddha and more. These stories can be seen through the wall reliefs that adorn this nine floored temple. It is best to go in the company of a knowledgeable guide in case you wish to understand the wall reliefs completely.



Everything about Borobudur’s epic proportions scream awesomeness. It is built as a single large stupa, but when looked from the top, it looks like a giant tantric Buddhist mandala. The bell shaped stupas that adorn this monument at each of its floors are designed using ancient megalithic traditions incorporated with Mahayana Buddhist ideas and symbolism.



The entire monument was laid without mortar and it stands tall today due to its knobs, indentations and dovetail joints. It enjoys excellent drainage through its beautifully designed channels and gargoyle spouts. And it has been designed with precise mathematical calculations.



And then there are the bas reliefs that were carved onto the temple once the entire structure was ready. Everything about it – its design, its size, its location, its ideals and philosophy and its stories make it a dream for anyone who loves civilizations, history, art, design and architecture.



Borobudur is a marvel that has to be feasted with ones own eyes. Photographs and videos hardly do any justice to its grandeur. One has to climb its steep flight of stairs, admire the bas reliefs while catching their breath, soak in the views in the yonder and keep repeating the process till they are one with the temple, the sky and the surrounding landscape.



Borobudur is a place that one has to see in their lifetime and a must visit if you are planning a holiday to Indonesia. It is a beautiful mix of spirituality, architecture, nature, history and the rich principles of Buddhism. I love this temple wonder and would return to it in a heart beat.



Best season to visit:

Borobudur is accessible all year round. Days can get warm, but nothing worth worrying about.

Rains can add a new dimension to the overall temple experience and they also bring with them vibrant sunrises and sunsets.

Do watch out for any eruption from Gunung Merapi as that can disturb the environment in and around Borobudur temple.



How to reach there:

The nearest airport  and railway station would be Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta has daily flights from South East Asia, Jakarta and Bali. And it is well connected by the trains that ply the island of Java. Basically lots of options to reach here from Jakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

From Yogyakarta, Borobudur temple is about 40 kms or 75 minutes away. You can either rent a motorcycle or car, hire a taxi or take the public bus from Yogyakarta to Borobudur.



Timings and entry formalities:

Borobudur is open from 6 AM through 5 PM. The tickets can be purchased at the counter either at Borobudur or Prambanan. If you only want ticket to Borobudur temple, it costs USD 22 per foreign national. If you are planning to visit both Prambanan temple and Borobudur temple, it is best to opt for the joint ticket that costs USD 40 per foreign national and that is valid for two days.

One is required to wear a sarong over their clothes. Such sarongs are given free of cost along with the purchase of a entrance ticket and needs to be returned while exiting.



Where to stay:

The best option with the widest range of accommodation would be Yogyakarta city, about 75 minutes away. Hotels, hostels, homestays and more can be found here thus catering to travelers with all kinds of budget.

If you wish to catch sunrise at Borobudur or if you wish to reach early to avoid the crowds, then may be, you can stay at the homestays and hotels located near Borobudur campus.



Where to eat:

There are food stalls just outside Borobudur campus for a quick bite. The nearest restaurants would be near the bus station and the best choice of restaurants would be in Yogyakarta city. It would be best to carry a snack and some water with you when you visit Borobudur.



Other nearby tourist attractions:

1) Prambanan: The capital of Hinduism in Indonesia

2) Gunung Merapi: One of the deadliest volcanoes in the world



3) The cultural city of Yogyakarta

4) The black sandy beaches of Parangtritis

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Prambanan: Capital of Hinduism in Indonesia

Everyone knows about the effects of Hinduism in Bali, but what will surprise most is that the Prambanan temple is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and it is located not in Bali, but in Central Java. It is also one of the biggest temples in South East Asia after Angkor Wat. Built in the 9th century, the Prambanan temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is located just outside Yogyakarta in Indonesia’s Central Java.


This temple dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma (the Trimurti) resembles most South Indian temples with a typical gopuram like architecture. It is part of an original set of 240 temples that include 3 Trimurti temples, 3 Vahana temples dedicated to Nandi, Garuda and Hamsa, 2 Apit temples, 4 Kelir temples, 4 patok temples and 224 Pervara temples.


Today, 8 of the main temples, 8 smaller shrines and 2 out of the original 224 Pervara temples exist. And to see these temples, one needs to walk in between sunrise to sunset and the entry fee for a foreign national is 171,000 rupiah or USD 17. It is a quite a steep entry fee, but if you have time at hand, you will be able to explore this temple properly, including some of the smaller and untouched shrines, but I doubt if you will make full use of the entry fee. If you are wearing short clothes, the temple will provide you with a sarong to uphold the temple’s modesty rules.


The best way to reach this temple is to hire your own motorbike or car and explore the temple complex at your own leisure. There are regular bus services too from Yogyakarta. The best time to visit this temple is around sunset time, when the sun casts a golden glow across the entire complex. I was here during sunset too, but unfortunately for me it was a cloudy evening.


One of the main things to see while visiting this temple on a full moon night is the Ramayana ballet, a traditional Javanese dance performed on the west side of the temple and across the Opak river. Personally, I haven’t seen this Ramayana show, but have heard good reviews about it.


Most of the Shiva temple is still off limits for the visitors due to safety reasons and the parts that are allowed to visit are under strict supervision. In whatever part of the Shiva temple that you can explore you will see stories of Ramayana carved on the inner walls, which you will understand properly if you see it in a clock wise sequence.


While the Shiva temple is the largest, the other temples are equally beautiful. The Vahanas of the 3 main Hindu gods also have large temples dedicated to them. These temples are quite unique to Prambanan as even Hindu temples in India do not have such large temples for the Vahanas.

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How to renew your Indonesian tourist visa?

If you got your Indonesia visa on arrival, then as per the current immigration regulations, you are allowed to renew it once for an additional duration of 30 days. But, to apply for this type of visa, it is better to inform the immigration officers of your intentions to renew at the time of getting your visa on arrival. The initial visa costs USD 25 and is valid for one month. The extended visa also costs an additional USD 25 and ensures you get one more month to stay in Indonesia.

One can get this extension done at Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bali or any other city that has an immigration office that handles visa extensions. I did mine at Yogyakarta. I went on a Friday afternoon to just understand the process, but thankfully, I had all the necessary documentation to file my visa extension on the same day.

The front desk at the immigration office hands you a file folder with the visa extension form. After that, I took a token to understand the process at the immigration counter. Here I was told that I need to provide the following:

1) Passport with Indonesia visa in it and Indonesia departure card
2) Duly signed and completed visa extension form
3) 1 copy of passport
4) 1 copy of Indonesia visa
5) 1 copy of Indonesia departure card

I was told to leave the documentation behind and come back on Tuesday morning to pay the fee of 250,000 rupiah or ~USD 25. I paid the fee on Tuesday morning and came back to collect my passport with the extended visa (a new stamp next to the visa sticker) on Tuesday afternoon. In sum, I got my visa extension done in 3 days without any sweat. The imigrasi office at Yogyakarta (Jogja) is very professional and prompt. They live up to their timelines. I have heard pretty bad visa extension stories in Bali and Jakarta and I am happy that I did mine at Yogyakarta. If you plan for a visa extension in Indonesia, I would recommend getting it done at Yogyakarta.

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Travel Photo: Food of Jogja

Apart from its many tourist attractions, if there is one thing that all the tourists will unanimously like is Yogyakarta’s (Jogja) food. One can find all kinds of food everywhere. From dirt cheap to cheap to value for money. T
he cost has to be less as this is the university town of Indonesia and students who predominantly eat all their meals outside, but cant afford to pay a lot for their food.


This unique cost and value mix and coupled with the excellent Central Java cuisine has ensured that Jogja has a wide variety of food that is sold from the wee hours of the morning to the late hours of the night. Even if you have stayed here for a week, like I have, it is difficult to sample as its delicacies. If you are running short of time, you should find this restaurant behind the Sultan’s palace near the Malioboro street, which has a great assortment of dishes in their buffet menu, but you pay for what you eat. I am sure you will end up licking your fingers and lips the entire duration of your stay in Yogyakarta.

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Trek to Gunung Merapi: One of the deadliest volcanoes in the world

Gunung Merapi! This name is pretty much unknown in the tourist world, but it is almost one of the top 10 names in the list of the deadliest volcanoes in the world. A lot of tourists who visit the central Java region of Indonesia do not even know about this active volcano. Even if they do, they give it as miss, as unlike the Gunung Bromo and its easy views, one needs to do a 3 to 4 hour trek to reach the top of Merapi.


It is only those tourists who either have local friends or are couchsurfing who end up climbing this mountain of fire. This mountain is very popular with the local Indonesian people and attracts hundreds of trekkers every weekend. In line with this Indonesian trend, I joined my Indonesia friend and his group of friends to climb Mount Merapi last weekend.


About 12 of us left Yogyakarta at about 2 pm on Saturday and reached the base camp (spot for parking and has some small shops) after sunset. The drive should have taken us just 2 hours, but the weekend traffic and the heavy rains ensured that we reached late. A glass of the the tawar panas (hot sweet tea) woke us up and gave us warmth at the nippy base camp.


It took a while for everyone to assemble as everyone seemed to have gotten delayed due to the rain. Once all of us were together, we started climbing in what was a steep climb. There were hardly any flat stretches as the climb was continuously a steep ascent. Some of us reached our camp site in 3 hours while the other slow ones reached in 4 hours. The ground was slippery, some people got cramps and the weather was giving everyone a chill.


By about 1 AM, we had pitched our tents and were brewing a much needed cup of hot tea to warm us up. I was one of the few you came very badly prepared for this trek. First, I had no warm wear with me as a backpacker travels light and doesn’t expect to be cold in tropical south east Asia. Second, I had no trekking shoes, but my sandals. The worst was no sleeping bag. Hence, I had to sleep on the floor of the tent for close to 2 hours.


In the end, all I managed was 40 minutes of sleep. It was more or less the same that everyone else got. Some could not sleep at all. We were all terribly tired, but the excitement of seeing sunrise from the peak was beckoning all of us to start walking. In a short while from our camp site, the forest cover ended and the walk was through black stones and rocks.


Between the peak and the campsite, there is a place that is somewhat like a memorial to pay respects to the kids who lost their life during a trek when Merapi exploded. From the campsite to the peak was about 2 hours and as we were approaching the top, I got heady due to the sulphur gases and could not proceed any further. It was also the sunrise time so I went to quickly find a spot to perch myself and my camera. Some folks proceeded further to the peak to see the crater and the lava flowing underneath and the others made themselves comfortable in their own sweet spots.


The sunrise was sharp at 5:05 AM and it was beautiful to see the sun rise beyond Gunung Lawu and the city nights below were still twinkling. Slowly, you could see Mount Merapi, Mount Merbabu, which is opposite Mount Merapi and the two mountains that are situated a bit far away. The views were surreal as the weather stayed really clear. The colors of the sun, the landscapes and the views of the mountains kept all of us dumb struck for a long while.


As the sun rose up from behind the mountains, the clouds also seemed to rise with it making the entire world below seem like a maze of clouds. Once the maze of clouds dispersed, you could see the greens that covered these volcanic mountains. The slopes of Mount Merapi was a contrast of sorts with the top slopes being black while the slopes below were fresh green.


In a couple of hours, the cold winds of the night died down and the sun started warming up the entire place. Soon, all the warm clothes got replaced with summer clothes. By about 8 AM, all of us were back at the campsite and looking at the pictures.


While some of us were looking at each other’s photographs, some of the others were kind enough to brew some hot kopi (Indonesian coffee) and start with the breakfast. After a hearty breakfast, we started our descent back to the base camp.


Descent was quicker, but was very slippery with slimy mud and lots of pebbles and rocks. I fell on my backside 3 times, but it was part of the fun and the overall experience. The descent is actually tougher than the ascent as it has stretches all your leg muscles completely. After reaching the base camp, all of us celebrated with iced tea, some bananas and a group photograph. Then, we sleepily drove back to Yogyakarta.


If you wish to do this trek, do ensure you have a guide to help you guide as you might get in the upper stretches and especially in the night, when you have no sense of direction. Plus, it is good to have a local who is aware of the latest activities in the volcano and knows which side of the mountain is safe and which is not. There is also a permissible limit in certain parts of the peak as the sulphur gases might cause trouble if you breathe them for a long while. If you wish to visit an active volcano and/or explore Central Java like a local, Gunung Merapi has to be on top of your bucket list.

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