Monument sights in Java
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Borobudur Temple
Java's Borobudur is one of the continent's marvels, surviving damage from volcanoes, terrorist bombs and hordes of tourists. Built from two million stone blocks in the form of a massive symmetrical stupa literally wrapped around a small hill, this colossal Buddhist relic remains as enigmatic and beautiful as it must have been 1200 years ago.
The paintwork is long gone, but it's thought that the grey stone of Borobudur was at one time washed with a colour to catch the sun.
Viewed from the air, the structure resembles a colossal three-dimensional tantric mandala. It has been suggested, in fact, that the people of the Buddhist community that once supported Borobudur were ear…
reviewed
-
Kraton Surakarta
Once the hub of an empire, today the Kraton Surakarta is a faded memorial of a bygone era. It’s worth a visit, but much of the kraton was destroyed by fire in 1985. Many of the inner buildings were rebuilt, but today the allure of this once-majestic palace has largely vanished and its structures left bare and unloved.
reviewed
