Borobudur

Borobudur, Hindu-Buddhist temple, near Magelang on the island of Java in Indonesia. Built in the 9th century under the Sailendra dynasty of Java, it was abandoned in the 11th century and partially excavated by archaeologists in the early 20th century. Influenced by the Gupta architecture of India, the temple is constructed on a hill 46 m (150 ft) high and consists of eight steplike stone terraces, one on top of the other. The first five terraces are square and surrounded by walls adorned with Buddhist sculpture in bas-relief; the upper three are circular, each with a circle of bell-shaped stupas (Buddhist shrines). The entire edifice is crowned by a large stupa at the center of the top circle. The way to the summit extends through some 4.8 km (some 3 mi) of passages and stairways. The design of Borobudur, a temple-mountain symbolizing the structure of the universe, influenced temples built at Angkor, Cambodia. Borobudur was rededicated as an Indonesian national monument in 1983 following extensive reclamation, aided by the United Nations.