Magical Borobudur

If you Google Borobudur (or look at my oxtail post from October), you'll see that it is a 9th century Buddhist temple that used to be--and now is again--a destination for spiritual pilgrimages.  We arrived in the late afternoon, just in time to get a look at it before it got dark.  Even from the bottom it was impressive.  And serene.  Even with two kids running around chasing creatures in the grass.



Memere and Borobudur

  

So we got settled, watched some centipedes cruise around, ate dinner, watched the 30-minute movie (hey, a great way for the establishment to save on tour guides.. and, Jaffa watched it twice), then went to bed.  Because... we had 4am wake up calls so we could be ready to walk up the steep temple stairs at 4:30, just in time for sunrise. 

It was so very much worth it.  I didn't even notice that I hadn't had my coffee yet. What you see in the background is Mount Merapi, an active volcano.  Over the few days we had there, we learned how many different kinds of offerings you can give to Merapi to ask it to please please please relax for awhile.  The last eruption was (um, er) last year, and there is still volcanic stuff on some of the roads and through villages.  We talked softly to it too.

Again, from Wikipedia: 

The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa. The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey, the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades.

I have so so many pictures, here are a few:

Buddha in the bell, and horse and cart relief

view from the bottom, and going down the steep stairs

And of course, the kids posing.. understanding that this is a pretty special place!

and of course..