Borobudur
- Date
- c. 780-833 · confidence medium
- Place
- Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia
- Credited to
- Shailendra dynasty
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A stepped Buddhist monument built over a hill from around two million interlocking andesite blocks with no mortar, and 2,672 relief panels. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and incorporates a drainage system with a hundred gargoyles.
One of the reliefs shows a large outrigger ship, key evidence for the study of Austronesian seafaring.
What it led to
- Buddhist pilgrimage in Java
- an iconographic source for 9th-century Javanese life and ships
- international UNESCO restorations (1975-1982)