B is for Borobudur, Indonesia

Facebook Swap, Sender: Yenny
Sent: 3 Aug 2012 from Balikpapan-Kaltim, Indonesia
Received, 5 Sep 2012, Traveled ~2381.31 km in 32 days

Borobudur Temple Comppunds was listed as a UNESCO WHS in 1991. It is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world; having the largest and most complete ensemble.

An excerpt from the UNESCO WHS page:

The vertical division of Borobudur Temple into base, body, and superstructure perfectly accords with the conception of the Universe in Buddhist cosmology. It is believed that the universe is divided into three superimposing spheres, kamadhatu, rupadhatu, and arupadhatu, representing respectively the sphere of desires where we are bound to our desires, the sphere of forms where we abandon our desires but are still bound to name and form, and the sphere of formlessness where there is no longer either name or form. At Borobudur Temple, the kamadhatu is represented by the base, therupadhatu by the five square terraces, and the arupadhatu by the three circular platforms as well as the big stupa. The whole structure shows a unique blending of the very central ideas of ancestor worship, related to the idea of a terraced mountain, combined with the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana.

~maria