Borobudur

Indonesia · ancient temples · Buddhism · architecture

Enormous stone temple. Borobudur is a huge Buddhist temple made of stone, built way back in the 9th century (around the year 800s) in Central Java, Indonesia. It's so big and impressive that people still travel from all over the world to see it.

Built with thousands of stones. The entire temple was constructed using thousands of individual stones carefully placed together. Each stone was carved and fitted so precisely that the temple has lasted more than 1,000 years!

Covered in carved stories. The temple is decorated with thousands of carved stone panels that tell stories about Buddha and Buddhist teachings. Walking around the temple is like reading a giant stone picture book.

Shaped like a mandala. When you look at Borobudur from above, it forms the shape of a mandala, a sacred circular pattern in Buddhism. The temple was designed this way on purpose to match Buddhist beliefs.

UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is so important and beautiful that it's been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means the whole world recognizes it as a treasure that needs to be protected.