The Buddhist Spiritual Centre of Java

The imposing Temple of Borobudur was the Buddhist spiritual centre of Java at the end of the 1st Century. It is built entirely of volcanic rock layered to form a six-stepped pyramid, peaked by three statue-encircled terraces and a central stupa.

Each of the ten levels represents a step towards complete personal enlightenment, and they include 92 different meditating Buddha statues and stone relief depictions of the Buddha's previous lives. The whole structure forms the shape of the sacred lotus flower, and rests at the peak of a green foothill beneath four volcanoes, overlooking a garden of palm trees and serene rice fields.