Indonesians are such a friendly bunch, which is why we love visiting the country so much. That and the incredible sites such as the one we just visited. When we reached the bottom, a crowd of friendly Indonesian school children greeted us with an excited “HELLO MISTER” and wanted to take selfies with us. Age-old temples, roosters crowing in a village under volcanoes, warm steam rising from the jungle, and we visitors there to witness all the glory.Īfter the sun was up properly, we circled our way down to the bottom while spotting the fantastic relief panels. Buddhas sit and stare with that all-knowing look of theirs over their kingdom below while camera shutters click and roosters crow in nearby villages.Īs I said, this is Java. With every passing minute, the sunrise reveals more of Borobudur’s beauty. Like a blanket lifting above the trees, the mist eventually reveals the Merapi volcano not far away. The jungle below is a multitude of layers with warm fog rising above it. Luckily, we won’t need a compass to determine which direction to face.Īfter catching our breaths, we begin the appreciate the spectacle.
Reaching the top, everyone is looking in one direction towards the fading night, already. We are glad it’s not raining, as February is the height of the rainy season in Java.
JUNGLE JAVA GEORGIA DRIVER
We should’ve listened to our driver when he insisted we leave Jogja at 3:30.īut no…we knew better and left at 04:00 because who wakes up that early? The first slivers of morning orange are peeking through the night sky already as we run up the steps to the top of the temple.
It’s the first week of February, and the air is hot and humid. Then follow the path leading to the temple and head straight up the steps to the top tier.įind a spot and watch the magic of the Borobudur sunrise slowly unfold. Walk up to the ticket counter, say “ Good morning“, followed by “ Borobudur sunrise ticket, please“, and hand over the money. That’s why some people call it the Manhoara Sunrise when referring to the sunrise at Borobudur. The Manhoara resort is located inside the temple grounds and is the only place that allows early access to Borobudur. He will probably even walk you to the counter to make sure you don’t get lost. Don’t leave Jogja later than 03:30!Īrriving at Borobudur, your driver will drop you right at the ticket office of the Manhoara resort. Meet your driver at the pre-arranged time at your hotel in Yogyakarta. Seeing the Borobudur sunrise is a straightforward affair. If you’re looking for the most famous landmark in Indonesia, this is it right here. Today, Borobudur is UNESCO recognised and the single most visited site in Indonesia. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles rediscovered Borobudur in 1814 under Java’s British administration, hidden in tropical jungles and under volcanic ash. Eventually, it was completely abandoned and forgotten.
After sunrise, you can circle down and appreciate the stunning architecture, Buddhas and relief panels.īorobudur’s glory days steadily declined when most of the population converted to Islam in the 15th century. So sunrise chasers head straight up to the top and await the first morning rays. If you came here for pilgrimage, you’d follow an anti-clockwise route starting at the bottom from one platform to the next until reaching Nirvana on the top.īut you’re probably not at Borobudur on pilgrimage – you’re here for the sunrise! If you’re on a spiritual journey- Namaste! Blessed day! Sitting on top of the temple, you’ll find 504 buddha statues and 2,672 relief panels – the world’s largest and most complete collection of Buddhist reliefs. On the upper level surrounding the central stupa, you can see 73 smaller, hollow bell-shaped stupas containing a Buddha statue each inside. Six square platforms comprise the base, topped by three round platforms crowned with a large stupa.
It is a man-made mountain, or 3D mandala if you want, standing between volcanoes, rice fields, villages and tropical jungles.Ĭonstructed in the 9th century, Borobudur consists of nine platforms stacked on top of each other. What is Borobudur? A man-made mountain The top tier of Borobudur with its central stupa and smaller bell-shaped stupas A Buddha inside one of the bell-shaped stupas on the upper tier of Borobudur On the lower tiers looking upīorobudur in Central Java is the world’s largest Buddhist temple and monument.
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