Yogyakarta is a city famous for its culture, food, and background. And while there’s plenty of stuff to do, perhaps the most well-known attractions lie just a brief drive from the town centre: The Borobudur temple.
If you’re planning a trip to Yogyakarta, you will soon realize that visiting Borobudur temple is crucial. If you’re curious about Borobudur temple, below are a few facts about Borobudur temple.
Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple. This temple has been built as a shrine and is still serves as a Buddhist pilgrimage site.
Historians believe that Borobudur was built in the 9th century. Evidence indicates that it was later abandoned when Islam was introduced to Java, pushing other different religions out.
Borobudur was known to be built without any cement or mortar to hold the pieces together. Instead, builders used techniques to fit the blocks.
After being abandoned, Borobudur lay hidden under the layers of volcanic ash for centuries. It was “rediscovered” in the early 1800s when the British explored the land of Java and learned its presence.
The original temple consisted of 504 Buddha statues. Nowadays, 300 are ruined in some way (usually missing their heads), and 43 are missing. Some of these Buddha statues’ minds are displayed in museums around the world, including The British Museum in London.
On the top (the most legendary) level of Borobudur, you will find 72 Buddha statues inside bell-shaped stupas. If you become near them and look through the holes, you can see the Buddha. If you observe more closely, you will notice that while they look similar, they have a variety of unique mudras (placement of their palms).
One aspect of Borobudur’s construction is that it had been built without using any mortar with volcanic stone, which was laid. The structures stayed strong because the stone has been cut precisely to fit each other and also aided by gravity.
More Information about Borobudur
Opening Hours: every day from 6 until 5 p.m.
To see the beautiful sunrise at Borobudur, you can get a special ticket that lets you enter at 4:30 a.m.
Toilets: There are restrooms close to the entry. There are paper towels provided when we were there; however, while traveling Java, we always took some (just in case) within our backpack.
Crowds: Borobudur is crowded on weekends. Sunrise will be a time to visit as well as when large tour buses arrive mid-morning through mid-afternoon. There are windows out of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and afterward in the afternoon once the crowds tend to become very overwhelming.
Guide: It is possible to employ an English-speaking guide on-site, or reserve a tour which includes transportation.
Ticket Cost
See below for several ticket costs (as of April 2020). Prices appear to increase annually, so bear this in mind while you plan your journey.
Important Notice: Below are the costs of tickets.
Adult
Foreign Visitor: $25 USD (390,000 IDR)
Foreign Student: $15 USD (230,000 IDR)
Are you a student? Bring your student ID and obtain an extra 40% off the entire ticket cost. It means saving about $10!
Child (6 – 10 years old)
Foreign Child: $15 USD (230,000 IDR)
The price in USD is put; however, the sum in IDR can vary depending on the current conversion rate.
Planning to visit Borobudur Temple soon? Find out more about Borobudur Temple and Indonesia by visiting Wonderful Indonesia
