Semarang is on the middle of the northern coast of Java. It is the fifth largest city in Indonesia and Java’s main commercial port. There may be many reasons to go to Semarang, but the only one for us is Borobudur.
Borobudur is a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 8th and 9th centuries by more than five generations of workers at the direction of the Buddhist Kings of the Sailendra Dynasty. It is the world’s largest Buddhist temple. Shortly after its completion, it was deserted when the Sailendra Dynasty was overthrown by the Hindu Majapahit Empire around 850. It lay forgotten and by the jungle until 1814 when Sir Stamford Raffles (a name we hear a lot in the history of this area) followed a rumor and rediscovered the temple. It’s two million pieces of andesite stone have been restored.
The temple is a solid structure representing the path to nirvana. There are nine levels, the first six are square and the walls are covered with carvings of the life of Buddha and other sacred stories. The top three levels are circular, with over 70 stupas each containing statues of the Buddha rather than the carvings. It is topped off with one large closed stupa (the statue from the top stupa is in the national museum). If you were to walk around each level, you would cover about 3 miles. Each side has a steep stairway with each step being a foot or more high (two courses of stone).
Approach to Borobudur
One Stairway to the Top
Closer View of a Side
Detail Showing Evidence of Trade
Janice Before Climbing Borobudur
Detail from Level 5 or 6
Four levels of Stupas
A Buddha in a Stupa
Hanson Touching a Buddha for Good Luck (Watch Out for the Snakes!)
View from Near the Top
Scale Model of Borobudur
The drive to and from Borobudur was about 2.5 hours each way, not counting rest stops, with a police escort! One the stops included a traditional shadow puppet show. There were also the usual shopping opportunities.
Shadow Puppet Show
John had been to Borobudur when he was working in Indonesia for three months in the late 1960s so he decided to take a less stressful excursion to see some of the sights around Semarng including the Sam Po Kong Temple—a combination of Chinese and Muslim cultures—an herbal medicine factory and a batik factory.