Borobudur panoramas

borobudur1.jpg

Photo by Ursula & David Molenda.

Panoramas of Borobudur, the Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, which lay undisturbed and overgrown for centuries until restoration began following the British occupation of the island in the 19th century. The bell-like structures are stupas, many of which contain statues of the Buddha in different symbolic postures. The entire monument is a complex three-dimensional map of the Buddhist cosmology: pilgrims ascend from the lowest level reading the bas-reliefs and visiting each Buddha in turn. Wikipedia has a detailed account of both the history of the monument and its meaning as a piece of religious architecture.

borobudur2.jpg

Photo by Ursula & David Molenda.

borobudur3.jpg

Photo by Lanang Lintang.

borobudur4.jpg

Photo by Lanang Lintang.

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