Borobudur, Indonesia Cruise Port

On your cruise to Indonesia, one of the major attractions is Borobudur (sometimes called Barabudur), a Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Magelang, Central Java built around 750 AD. Also referred to as a Buddhist stupa, which is Sanskrit for "heap," it's considered the largest Buddhist monument in the world. It forms a three-dimensional mandala, or diagram of the universe, along with a visual representation of Buddhist teachings. As to who built it, that remains a mystery. However, its surmised build date corresponds to the peak of the Sailendra Dynasty in central Java (760–830 AD), while the area was under the influence of the Srivijayan Empire. Many feel its design represents the combination of the Indonesian indigenous cult of ancestor worship, along with the Buddhist concept of attaining nirvana . Regardless of its original intent, it’s still considered one of the most sacred places in the world. Listed below are a handful of our favorite experiences when cruising to Borobudur, Indonesia:

Viewed from above, the giant mandala symbolically shows the path from samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound) to nirvana (the final goal of Buddhism). The massive monument is made up of over two million stone blocks; some scholars think it's a gigantic textbook to lead people to enlightenment. Reading this stone Buddhist textbook means a walk of more than two miles.
All of the relief panels in the temple tell a story; on the Rupadhatu level, the stories are based on the manuscripts of Lalitavistara (which tell about the life of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha), Jataka-Avadana (stories about Buddha's previous reincarnation, chains, and virtues), and Gandavyuha (Sudhana's quest for the ultimate truth).
You'll see plenty of statues of various Buddhas, which are in niches at the Rupadhatu level. Unfortunately, some of the heads have been stolen as collector's items – mostly by Western museums.
One of the more modern pieces is a beautiful outdoor monument from 1973, featuring an inscription by the former Indonesian president Soeharto regarding Borobudur’s planned overhaul and restoration.

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