Seven Wonders of the World

Situated at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, Central Java, the Borobudur Temple is considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the complex of the temple is one of the greatest monuments in the world. According to Bernet Kempers' Borobudur Temple is very unique in her own way. Nieuwenkamp (an artist) said that Borobudur was like “a big lotus flower bud ready to bloom” which was “floating” on a lake. Nieuwenkamp’s mind's eye was supported by N. Rangkuti (1987) supported the mind's eye of Nieuwenkamp and said that from the air Borobudur Temple looks floating.

Between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D, Sanmaratungga was constructed Borobudur Temple and in 1814, Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles was revealed the ruined and buried Borobudur Temple. From 1905 to 1910, the temple was under the restoration and the last restoration was done in 1973 to 1983.

The structure of Borobudur Temple includes 55,000 square meters area, which is constructed on a hill and the shape of this temple is like a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The whole structure of this temple is looks like a lotus, which is the sacred flower of Buddha.
The overall height of the temple was 42 meters, but after restoration only 34.5 meters of temple was revealed that had the dimension of 123 x 123 meters (15,129 square meters). The Borobudur Temple comprises10 floors and the first floor to the sixth floor were square form; the seventh to the tenth floor were round form.

Considered as the highest symbol of Buddhism, Borobodur stupa is a replica of the universe. Borobudur Temple symbolises the micro-cosmos and divided into three levels. The first level marks the man's world of desire that is influenced by negative impulses; the middle level marks the world where man has control of his negative impulses and uses his positive impulses; the highest level marks the world of man that is no longer bounded by physical and worldly ancient desire. Therefore, we can say that Borobodur Temple represents the ten levels of a Bodhisattva's life.