Borobudur

With vivid photography and insightful commentary, this travel pictorial shines a light on the Buddhist art and architecture of Borobudur.

The glorious ninth-century Buddhist stupa of Borobudur-the largest Buddhist monument in the world-stands in the midst of the lush Kedu Plain of Central Java in Indonesia, where it is visited annually by over a million people.

Borobudur contains more than a thousand exquisitely carved relief panels extending along its many terraces for a total distance of more than a kilometer. These are arranged so as to take the visitor on a spiritual journey to enlightenment, and one ascends the monument past scenes depicting the world of desire, the life story of Buddha, and the heroic deeds of other enlightened beings-finally arriving at the great circular terraces at the top of the structure that symbolizes the formless world of pure knowledge and perfection.