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A breathtaking sunrise on the largest Buddhist temple in the world! Sounds like a dream to you? For us it became reality on our Indonesia round trip. After an impressive day at the temple of Prambanan, we took an hour bus ride to the temple complex of Borobudur. Once there, we first checked into a hostel and spent the evening relaxing. Because we wanted to visit the temple not during the day, but at sunrise the next morning!
Basically, the temple complex is accessible from 06:00 clock - 17:00 clock through various entrances. Who would like to visit the plant like us, however, at sunrise, has only the possibility at the hotel Manohara to get into the plant. The entrance costs here proud 500,000 Rupiah (~ 32 $). During the day at the normal opening hours 325,000 Rupiah (~ 22 $) are required. If you also plan to visit the temple Prambanan, a combination ticket is worthwhile, which is also valid the next day. The price for this is 570,000 Rupiah (~ 38 $). However, this is not valid if you want to visit the temple at sunrise. The entrance at the hotel opens at 04:30. So at 04:00 am our alarm clock rang, after a short breakfast we set off on foot and reached the entrance after about 20 minutes. Here you will be given a scarf, a map and a flashlight. You will also be given a sarong here in case you are not dressed appropriately! In most temples you have to wear long pants, a skirt or a sarong! We then followed the other visitors into the dark night.
Borobudur translates as "complex of temples on a mountain". The pyramid-shaped temple was built between 750 and 850 AD and is the largest Buddhist monument in the world. At one time, Borobudur was among the Buddhist centers of Java. However, with the fall of past kingdoms, the structure was forgotten for nearly 1,000 years. The first mention of the temple was in 1709, but at that time, due to the vegetation and supposed volcanic eruptions, as well as earthquakes, there was only talk of Borobudur Hill, as the monument was covered with earth and overgrown with dense jungle. It was not until 1814 that the ruins of the former temple were rediscovered and finally restored. The temple complex is composed of 76 stupas spread over 9 floors and encircling the main stupa, which measures almost 11 meters in diameter. Stupas are bell-shaped Buddhist structures that symbolize Buddha himself or his teachings and give the temple complex a magical atmosphere, especially at sunrise. On the walls are reliefs carved into the stone, depicting the life and work of Buddha. The entire temple complex is about 40 meters high and, like the temple Prambanan, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our destination was the highest platform of the temple to admire the sunrise there. Once at the top, we looked for a suitable place, set up our camera and waited. After some time in the darkness it became quite cold, the sun was hiding behind the horizon and the stone temple only cooled us down more. We were glad of our warming jackets and hats. Down in the city hung deep clouds of fog, slowly the sky lightened until the valley colored in the morning redness and the first rays of sunlight hit the temple. A mystical and unique atmosphere accompanied the rising sun. Around us, people were silent and everyone enjoyed the moment of complete silence. The more sun came out from behind the distant mountains, the more pleasant it became and we warmed ourselves with the sun's rays that were becoming stronger.
When the sun finally rose completely, we could admire the temple in its full glory. Everywhere were stupas, Buddhas and reliefs in various sizes, which were just waiting to be viewed by us. After a complete tour of all levels, we happily made our way back to our hostel.
This sunrise is clearly one of the highlights of our Java trip and was an experience that we will remember forever. Despite the high entrance fee and the early rising, this morning was worth all the effort. And we found pleasure in being early risers, because the next sunrise at Gunung Bromo was already scheduled!