Tuesday 10 April 2012

Borobudur, Indonesia


These carvings are just a fraction of those that can be seen on the Buddhist temple at Borobudur in Indonesia.  It is the world's largest Buddhist monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was probably built around 750 AD but then became buried by volcanic ash from Moutn Merapi.  The area appears to have been deserted after one such eruption and by the time people came back, many years later, it was forgotten.  It wasn't until 1814 that it was rediscovered and cleared by 1835.  Sadly many of the stones, statues and so on,  were given away but a large proportion of the complex has since been restored almost to its original state.
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8 comments:

  1. Amazes me how artistic works like that have lasted this long. Would love to see it in person

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  2. Wow what a wonder piece of art work

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  3. Sort of reminds me of the one that was destroyed in Afghanistan. This one looks in very good shape though.

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    Replies
    1. That was such a disaster but I heard they may reconstruct the statues. apparently behind the statues they have found caves with wall paintings, so every cloud has a silver lining.

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  4. Oh, I would love to see something like this one day! Indonesia is definitely on my bucket list!

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    1. I think Indonesia will be beyond my reach now, but you never know. :)

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