Borobudur on the island of Java, Indonesia

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General information, history and architecture

Borobudur Temple (Borobudur) is a Buddhist temple complex in Indonesia on the island of Java near the city of Yogyakarta (Borobudur on the map). This is the most famous and popular historical landmark of Indonesia.

Borobudur

The temple was built in the period from 750 to 850 AD by the ruling Sailendra dynasty of the ancient state of Mataram. Some time after the construction of Borobudur, like all other temples and cities in central Java, was abandoned for centuries. The exact reason for this is unknown, but according to the most plausible version, it happened because of the activity of the deadliest volcano Merapi, in the shadow of which the temple is located. This is also confirmed by the fact that the capital of the kingdom of Mataram has also moved to the east of the island.

Borobudur is given the status of the world's largest Buddhist temple, although strictly speaking it is not really a temple, but rather a monument or stupa, without the attributes and functions inherent in traditional Buddhist temples. It is built of two million stone blocks, and the volume of the structure is about 55,000 cubic meters. The dimensions of the foundation are 118 by 118 meters. For comparison, the length of the football field is 108 meters. The scale is amazing, and if you also think about the fact that each of the two million stones was given a special shape, then the scale of the structure, of course, is amazing.

Borobudur

• Borobudur, Indonesia
• Borobudur, Indonesia
• Borobudur, Indonesia
• Borobudur, Indonesia

The monument has the shape of a multi-tiered stupa with a square base, and the three upper tiers are round. The most interesting tier is the upper one. There are 72 small stupas and one large one on it. There are 504 Buddha statues inside the stupas, and 1460 bas-reliefs on religious subjects on the perimeters at different levels. For believers, it is still a sacred place used for pilgrimage and prayers. Pilgrims have to walk seven times clockwise on each of the levels, and touching each Buddha in the stupas on the upper tier brings happiness.

Borobudur was rediscovered by Europeans only in 1815, and work on its restoration began only at the beginning of the last century. In 1991, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and since then its popularity has grown rapidly. Today it is the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.

Borobudur

Borobudur, Indonesia

Borobudur, Indonesia

What and how to see in Borobudur, inspection tips

Despite the fame and significance of Borobudur, this is a fairly simple and not very large-scale attraction that can be viewed in a couple of hours, because apart from the monument itself and two small museums there is nothing else here. However, excursions from remote places, for example from the island of Bali, can take two to three days in time, depending on the type of transport.

Borobudur is usually visited as an excursion or independently from Yogyakarta, less often from Surakarta (Solo) or Semarang. If you want to come here from more remote places, for example from the island of Bali, then it is best to use Yogyakarta as a base for an overnight stay. And it's even better to buy a ready-made tour from Bali, as described below in the section "how to get there". If you wish, you can also stay in hotels right next to Borobudur itself, but apart from hotels there is no tourist infrastructure, while Yogyakarta has a tourist area, many restaurants, night markets and attractions (see Yogyakarta travel guide). It makes sense to settle directly next to Borobudur only if you want to meet the dawn in the temple, which, of course, is worth it. How to do this, see below. You can view and book hotels near Borobudur (in Magelang) on the following safe sites:

• 🛌 Search for hotels near Borobudur on Yandex.travel

A traditional day tour or a self-guided trip to Borobudur from Yogyakarta will take half a day. It is advisable to start as early as possible (with an independent trip) in order to pass large tourist groups that begin to arrive around 8 o'clock. Ideally, you need to arrive here at 6 o'clock, but from Yogyakarta it is possible only by rented transport or taxi. To drive by car for about an hour and a half (40 kilometers), it will take two hours on a motorbike. After 8 o'clock there are so many tourists here, mostly local, that it will be simply unrealistic to take a photo without a crowd in the frame.

Borobudur in the middle of the day

Borobudur, Indonesia

Borobudur, Indonesia

If you are on a rented transport, you can see both Borobudur and Prambanan in one day. Another option for an independent route is to make a trip from Yogyakarta to the Dieng Plateau with a stop in Borobudur, but this will be a one-way route only, you will not have time to return on the same day.

Borobudur

The area around the temple is surrounded by a fence (the so-called archaeological park), the entrance to which is carried out when buying a ticket. The ticket gives the right to a single pass, with the exception of multiple tickets valid for several days, but for tourists such tickets are completely useless. During the inspection, you can climb the monument through all levels to the top, take pictures and touch everything. There is no internal space (premises) in Borobudur, inspection is only outside. The ticket price also includes a visit to two museums: the Museum of the history of the temple (museum on the map) and the ship museum (museum on the map). And in the courtyard of the museum there is a small pond with fish that do the so-called fish massage or fish spa. You can sit by the pond with your feet in the water for just 5,000 rupees in 15 minutes.

After visiting the temple and museums, you will go out from the other side, and not where you went in. After exiting, you will pass through a souvenir market and local cafes where you can have an inexpensive snack or drink iced drinks.

Borobudur Museum

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• Fish massage pond

What else to see nearby

Of course, the landscapes that you will see on the way to Borobudur from Yogyakarta are fascinating. The road passes through endless rice fields, and in the distance you can see mountains, including the active volcano Merapi. And the return route can be laid through Magelang and the road between the volcano Merapi (Gunung Merapi) and Merbabu (Merbabu), but this will be a route with a length of 110 kilometers, although it is certainly worth it.

There are two other small ancient temples near Borobudur itself, which are believed to be directly connected with it. These are Candi Mendut and Candi Pawon. All three temples are located strictly on the same line, although historians and archaeologists cannot yet find out the reason why this was done and the connection between the temples. Mendut Temple and Candi Pawon can be visited separately for a small additional fee, or by purchasing a special single ticket to visit three attractions at once. But in fact, when buying such a ticket, you will overpay, so it is better to pay for the entrance to these two temples separately, and both of them are visited with one ticket worth 3500 rupees (0.21 USD, the currency of Indonesia, its exchange rate).

• Candi Mendut

  The ruins of Candi Mendut are located 3.5 kilometers from the entrance to Borobudur (temple on the map). The entrance fee is 3500 rupees, or free of charge with the purchase of a special single ticket. Next to it is an active Buddhist monastery with a beautiful green area. Learn more about Candi Mendut here...

  Kandy Mendut Temple
  Sitting Buddha in Kandy Mendut, photo wikimedia.org

• Candi Pawon

  It is closer, one and a half kilometers away (temple on the map). The entrance fee is also 3500 rupees. Very tiny, looks like a smaller copy of Candi Mendut. Learn more about Candi Pawon here...

  Kandy Pavon Temple
  Ruins of Kandi Pavon Temple, Borobudur
  Ruins of Kandi Pavon Temple, Borobudur

How to meet the dawn or sunset in Borobudur

Meeting dawn or dusk in Borobudur is a non–standard route that is not even officially available for sale. Officially, access to Borobudur opens at 06:00, which is after sunset, and closes at 18:00, which is too early for sunset. To get through earlier or to stay late, you need to purchase special tickets for the tour through the Manohara Hotel associated with the archaeological park. This hotel is located inside the territory, and you can even stay in it if you wish, although it is not cheap:

• check prices for Manohara Resort Hotel on Yandex.travel

If you want to meet the dawn, it is not necessary to stay at this hotel, but you need to purchase a ticket for a tour from Manohara Hotel at the ticket office for 1,950,000 rupees (117 RUB / 37 US dollars). In the morning it is better to be at the entrance to the hotel already at 04:20, when the ticket offices open, in order to take a good seat, because there are a lot of people who want. After meeting the dawn, you can stay in the archaeological park and explore everything as an ordinary visitor. The easiest way is to purchase ready-made Borobudur Sunrise tours to meet the dawn at travel agencies on Yogyakarta Street or online, so it will be even more profitable than taking a taxi at night or renting a transport.

To meet the sunset, you can immediately purchase a sunset ticket for 450,000 rupees, or buy a regular ticket, and then pay extra.

Borobudur

Borobudur working hours

06:00 – 17:15, seven days a week. How to meet the sunset or dawn, See above.

Entrance fee to Borobudur

Below is the entrance fee as of 2024. The price of tickets is pegged to the dollar and changes almost every six months. You can check the current prices on the official website http://borobudurpark.com. But the site does not work well, sometimes you need to use a proxy server to open it.

For foreigners, there is a separate ticket office with a small queue, there is no need to get up in a large queue for local tourists. Payment can be made in cash in rupees or by credit card, dollars are not accepted.

How to see Borobudur and Prambanan with one ticket

To visit both attractions, a special single ticket is offered, which allows you to save about 10 US dollars. Such tickets can be bought at the ticket offices both there and there, but their sale is not advertised, so you need to ask the cashier "Ticket Package Borobudur – Prambanan". After the purchase, two days are given to visit two attractions, including the day of purchase, but each ticket has only one entry.

Learn more about Prambanan and how to get to it here...

How to get to Borobudur

Borobudur is located 40 kilometers from Yogyakarta, and this city is the best base point to visit it (Borobudur on the map). It can also be visited with excursions or independently from other cities and resorts of the island of Java and the island of Bali. For more information about how to get to Yogyakarta, see here...

You can get to Borobudur in the following ways:

• Excursions

  Excursions to Borobudur are offered from all popular tourist towns of the island. Java and Bali. From Bali, tours are offered by land (2-3 days with an overnight stay in Yogyakarta), or by plane (one day). It is much cheaper to get to Yogyakarta on your own (see how and how to get to Yogyakarta), and buy a tour there, but in any case you will have to spend the night in the city. The cost of the excursion starts from 100,000 rupees (6.01 USD) excluding entrance tickets, and there are more expensive options with visits to other temples in the vicinity and Mount Merapi.

  You can buy excursions to Borobudur at travel agencies at the resort, or online at one of these proven sites for searching and comparing excursions:

  Найти экскурсии онлайн (с отзывами)

• By bus

  The bus ride involves several transfers and will take at least 2 hours in one direction. In general, this route is easy to do, buses run often, but they stop moving after 16 hours.

  First you need to get to the Jombor bus station (station on the map) on city buses 2A (from the railway station and tourist street Malioboro) or 2B (from the Kraton Palace) for 3600 rupees. At the station you will need to take a bus towards Magelang for 25,000 rupees, but you need to go to Muntilan Bus Terminal station in Muntilan village. All drivers know where tourists are going, and as a rule they are dropped off here, but it's better to remind them about it just in case, so as not to pass. At this station you need to take a commuter bus directly to Borobudur. In Borobudur, the bus stops a hundred meters from the main entrance and ticket offices.

• By minibus

  Travel agencies on the streets of Yogyakarta offer tourist minibuses to Borodubur and Prambanan. This is a very convenient and inexpensive way, but keep in mind that you will almost certainly be taken to the batik factories along the way, where they will be "promoted" for purchase. It is not necessary to buy, but you will lose time. The cost of such trips starts from 80,000 rupees.

• By rented transport

  This is the most convenient budget way to see the temples, because you can quickly see the temples in the vicinity, which are located within a radius of up to 5 kilometers from the main complex, and on different sides. It is best to rent a car or a motorcycle (see Yogyakarta transportation, what to use), but you can also do this route by bike.

  When you arrive at the place, you will need to pay 5,000 rupees for parking, and walk to the ticket offices. Parking is very large, and you will go out on the other side of the temple, so remember the parking place, and even better mark it in the navigator, otherwise you will be looking for your transport for a long time.

Borobudur Map