Borobudur Temple

Overlooking the fertile valley of Magelang and facing the volcano Merapi, 40 km north from the province of Jogjakarta, stands a breathtaking monument that was built during the 8th century by the Bouddhist dynasty of Sailendra. This is the most prestigious monument in Indonesia, and the world’s largest Buddhist temple. The different levels of the monument symbolizes the different levels of wisdom we have to go through during life until reaching the enlightenment of Buddha, symbolized by the spectacular upper terraces. The global architecture (obvious when seen from the air) is actually a mandala (sacred diagrams initiating people with spiritual awareness). Borobudur is the place where you may find a new vision of the world and yourself.
Some said the monument was discovered by the Dutch Cornelius De Houtman in 1817 with most of its side covered with soil but the people of Jogjakarta were well aware of its existence. The Dutch military engineer was deputed by Raffless to investigate this discovery but the first major conservation step was taken in 1874 by draining the sunken area with sand by Kinsbergen. The major conservation action took place in between 1907-1911 leaded by the Thedar van Earp. He reconstructed the upper round terrace by using many new stones. But still, the monument was deteriorating and it was only in 1975-1984 that UNESCO came to rescue and sponsor the restoration and conservation of the monument. This was a huge work: millions stones were taken piece by piece and cleaned carefully. New foundation was put on as well. The result is one of the most ambitious and successful restoration ever. A must to see for any serious traveler.

Prambanan Temple

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples. It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953. Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.

The temple was damaged during the earthquake in Java in 2006. Early photos suggest that although the complex appears to be structurally intact, damage is significant. Large pieces of debris, including carvings, were scattered over the ground. The temple has been closed to the public until damage can be fully assessed. The head of Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency stated that: "it will take months to identify the precise damage". However, some weeks later in 2006 the site re-opened for visitors. The immediate surroundings of the Hindu temples remain off-limits for safety reasons.