UNESCO has designated Borobudur as a World Heritage Site with good reason. It is an awesome and inspiring testament, from ancient times, of man's achievements, abilities, and aspirations. Even an uncultured, disinterested, hard to impress, easily distracted person would find it difficult to be bored...and Mundain is living proof.
Borobudur confirmed to me that nothing man-made promises permanence. As grand as Borobudur once was, it fell into disrepair and was forgotten for centuries before being rediscovered as a ruin. Is there a lesson that we can glean which can be applied to our physical and spiritual existence. Deep thoughts for a mundane mind...
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Borobudur is more than eye candy...it is the largest. Buddhist
monument in the world, pre-dating. Angkor Wat by several centuries...
just Google it yourself, then go see...it's worth it |
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| ...co-ordinating sarongs were a condition of entry |
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| ...on the approach |
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| looking back down the promenade |
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...active volcano Mount Merapi in the distance,
her eruption hid Borobudur under meters of ash
until the early 1800's
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A few blog photos cannot hope to recreate the grandeur...you have to be there
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| ...and have a guide explain the stories told in the reliefs |
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| ...marvel at the precision of ancient stonework |
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| ...and the level of detail |
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| ...walk the passageways |
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...encounter monks on pilgrimage,
making the ascent to the top of the monument,
representing their personal spiritual journeys |
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| ...or in solitude reflection |
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| every picture |
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| tells a story |
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| in Buddhist lore |
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| ...the object of worship |
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| each stupa houses a statue of Buddha |
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Mundain almost at the apex, the highest point of
the temple, the largest stupa is empty,
represents nothingness, enlightenment - Nirvana |
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ah...Nirvana...but again...
"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." |
Mundain out.
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