By At a glance: Borobudur
- Location
- Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia
- Built
- c. late 8th – early 9th century
- Type
- Buddhist monument (stupa-mandala) · Sacred
- Style
- Javanese Buddhist, Shailendra dynasty
- Commissioned by
- Shailendra dynasty
- Architects & builders
- Not recorded; tradition names Gunadharma
- Materials
- Andesite stone blocks over a natural hill
- Size
- Base about 123 m a side; 2,672 relief panels; 504 Buddha statues
Borobudur: what it is
Borobudur has no interior. It is built over a natural hill, and its meaning is experienced by walking: pilgrims circle each level clockwise, reading the reliefs, before climbing to the next.
After the centre of Javanese power moved east and Islam spread, the monument fell out of use and was covered by volcanic ash and jungle. It was cleared in the 19th century and has been restored twice.
Borobudur, then and now
Real images only: an earlier view and a recent photograph, each credited and linked to its original file. Switch between them or compare side by side.
Then · Before 1900Now · TodayMove across the image to compareBorobudur: how it was designed
- 01
Three worlds stacked
The levels map Buddhist cosmology: the base for the world of desire, the square galleries for the world of forms, and the round terraces for the formless world, crowned by a great central stupa.
- 02
A book in stone
Walking all the galleries means passing about 2,672 carved panels — the life of the Buddha, Jataka tales and the pilgrim Sudhana's search for wisdom — a route of several kilometres.
- 03
From walls to openness
The square galleries are enclosed by high walls, focusing attention on the reliefs. The round terraces open to the sky and the surrounding volcanoes, with Buddhas half-hidden inside lattice stupas.
- 04
Built to drain
Water spouts carved as makara (sea creatures) carried rain off each level — the drainage that, when it failed, nearly destroyed the monument.
Construction timeline
Built in several phases under the Shailendra dynasty; the design changed during construction.
Use declines as political power moves to East Java.
Thomas Stamford Raffles sends the engineer H. C. Cornelius, who clears vegetation and ash.
J. W. IJzerman discovers the 'hidden foot' with 160 reliefs, later covered again.
Theodoor van Erp carries out the first restoration.
Indonesia and UNESCO dismantle and rebuild the terraces with new drainage; inscribed 1991.
How the design changed
The hidden foot
A broad stone base was added during construction, probably to stop the structure spreading, covering a series of carved panels. Four panels at the south-east corner are now left exposed.
Taken apart to be saved
In the 1970s about a million stones of the square terraces were numbered, removed, cleaned and replaced on a new concrete foundation with waterproofing and drains.
Who built it
The Shailendra kings, Mahayana Buddhists who ruled Central Java, commissioned it. Javanese tradition names an architect called Gunadharma, but no contemporary record survives. The stone was cut from nearby rivers and fitted without mortar, using interlocking joints.
Where it is
Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia · 7.6079° S, 110.2038° E · Open in OpenStreetMap. Nearest in this guide: Angkor Wat (2,440 km), Shwedagon (3,123 km), Brihadeeswarar (4,001 km).
2,440 km3,123 km4,001 kmBorobudurDrag to pan, use + and − or double-click to zoom, and tap any pin for a preview.
Built around the same time
| Monument | Country | Built | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba | Spain | 785–988 (mosque); cathedral nave from 1523 | 5 years later |
| Kailasa Temple, Ellora | India | 8th century CE (mainly under Krishna I, r. c. 756–773) | 24 years earlier |
| Tōdai-ji Great Buddha Hall | Japan | 752 CE; hall rebuilt 1195 and 1709 | 35 years earlier |
| Mont-Saint-Michel | France | 708–1521; spire 1897 | 72 years earlier |
Borobudur: questions people ask
When was Borobudur built?
Around the late 8th to early 9th century CE, by the Shailendra dynasty of Central Java, over roughly half a century.
Is Borobudur the largest Buddhist temple in the world?
Yes. UNESCO and most sources describe it as the world's largest Buddhist monument.
How many Buddha statues are at Borobudur?
There were originally 504 Buddha statues, 72 of them inside the perforated stupas on the round terraces. Many have lost their heads.
Why was Borobudur abandoned?
Likely because the centre of power moved to East Java in the 10th century, followed by the spread of Islam. Volcanic ash and vegetation then covered it.
Sources & image credits
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Borobudur Temple Compounds
- Wikipedia — Borobudur
- UNESCO — Borobudur restoration (1973–1983)
- Current photograph: Borobudur-Nothwest-view.jpg by Gunawan Kartapranata, Public domain — original on Wikimedia Commons.
- Historic image: Gezicht op de Borobodur voor de restauratie, anoniem, 1850 - 1900 - Rijksmuseum.jpg by Unknown author, Public domain — original on Wikimedia Commons.
- Coordinates from Wikidata. Images resized and converted to WebP; otherwise unaltered. Checked October 25, 2026.
More to wander into
- World monument · 3rd century BCE – 1st century CEGreat Stupa at SanchiAshoka's stupa, with four gateways that tell the Buddha's story without showing him.
- World monument · Founded c. 6th–10th century CE; present form 1775Shwedagon PagodaA 99-metre stupa wrapped in gold, rebuilt after every earthquake.
- World monument · c. 21st century BCEZiggurat of UrA 4,100-year-old Sumerian stepped platform for the moon god, rebuilt in parts in the 1980s.
- World monument · 752 CE; hall rebuilt 1195 and 1709Tōdai-ji Great Buddha HallA giant bronze Buddha in a wooden hall rebuilt smaller after two fires.
- World monument · c. 246–208 BCE; found 1974Terracotta ArmyEight thousand clay soldiers, mass-produced yet individual, once brightly painted.
- World monument · Late 12th – early 13th century (traditional dating)Rock-Hewn Churches of LalibelaChurches carved down into the ground, still in daily use after 800 years.
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