Google Earth Community: Borobodur Temple, Java Island Indonesia

Borobodur Temple, Java Island Indonesia

Excerpt from Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobodur

"Borobudur is a Buddhist stupa related to the Mahayana tradition, and is the largest Buddhist monument on earth. It is located in the Indonesian province of Central Java, 40 kilometers (25mi) north-west of Yogyakarta. It was built between 750 and 850 CE by the Javanese rulers of the Sailendra dynasty. The name may derive from the Sanskrit "Vihara Buddha Ur", which can be liberally translated as "the Buddhist temple on the mountain". It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indonesia."

I visited this monument in 2000 when I met my Indonesian wife who took me on a trip to Yogyakarta. We were riding in a becap (pronounced bay-chop, large tricycle for couples riding behind the pedaler) when we rode into the middle of a fierce demonstration. She was worried they would attack me, the bule (bu-lay, white person). No one did. We caught a taxi to Borobodur where I wrote poetry on my PDA.