Indonesia's Borobudur and Prambanan temples in 1 day
We flew from Russia specifically to see the world's most ancient treasures, Borobudur and Pranbanan, located near Yogyakarta. One day for both temples. Independently. By public transport. In comfort.
Both temples are approximately 12 centuries old, 50 years apart.
This miracle, saved from Dutch plunder, was only a volcanic eruption. "Every cloud has a silver lining," as the Russian proverb goes. For 300 years, the East Indian Company mercilessly exported everything from this region, exploiting the local population.
A small competition between two powerful dynasties 12 centuries ago helped build two wonders of the world, 40 km apart: Borobudur (Buddhist Sailendra dynasty) and Pranbanan (Hindu Saijaya dynasty).
So, the goal is defined.
Means of implementation: public transportation – a bus.
The easiest way to find a bus to Borobudur is on Malioboro Street near the Bank of Indonesia, a huge white Moorish-style building with two towers. Buses depart from this stop approximately every half hour. The bus takes about an hour, is very comfortable, small, seats about 15 people, and makes virtually no stops. The bus costs 20,000 rupiah (100 rubles). The bus terminal is near the Borobudur Temple (about 2 km), and rickshaws also take you to the temple for 20,000 rupiah.
Entrance to the Borobudur Temple complex costs 400,000 rupiah (2,000 rubles).
Mini groups are formed inside and given special flip-flops. Free electric cars drive around the grounds. A guided tour of the temple is free. We were assigned a guide who gave us a wonderful hour-long tour.
Borobudur is a materialized mandala of the "cosmic dream of Buddha," inviting everyone not only to emerge from this dream but to awaken to its true nature—boundless, empty, luminous, and free from fear. The mandala is structured on three levels.
1. Scenes of worldly passions and karma on the hidden foundation—this is the densest, "nightmare" layer of the universal dream, in which beings are completely absorbed in illusion.
2. Reliefs of scenes of Prince Sujana. There are over 1,300 reliefs and 432 Buddha statues in niches.
3. The world without form.
Looking through the stone lattice at the Buddha statue inside is a moment of enlightened vision: you are still in the relative world (you see forms), but your perception has changed. You see the empty nature of all phenomena. · Central Stupa - Awakening from Sleep: The emptiness in the center represents the final awakening, transcending the very metaphor of sleep. It is a state that cannot be described by form or symbol (Nirvana). It is the realization of what "cosmic sleep" is.
We spent two hours in Borobudur and returned to the bus terminal by 12:00. A comfortable minibus took us directly to Pranbanan in 1.5 hours for 35,000 rupees (175 rubles).
Pranbanan. Entrance fee: 400,000 rupees (2,000 rubles). The grounds are large. The Sanjaya dynasty, with the construction of the temple, declared a manifesto of their return to Hinduism. The temple walls are decorated with carved stone bas-reliefs from the Ramanayama tradition. Three main temples = trimurti, the main gods: Shiva (the main, largest), Vishnu, Brahma.
Cosmological symbol: The complex is a model of the universe in the Hindu understanding. Tall, pointed temples (shikharas) symbolize the sacred Mount Meru—the center of the universe, the abode of the gods.
The three gods are responsible for the cycle of creation: Brahma (creation), Vishnu (preservation), Shiva (destruction/transformation). Their unity is the foundation of the cosmic order.
Inside the main Shiva temple is a four-armed statue of Shiva. Important: also here (with separate entrances) are statues of his consort Durga, his teacher Agastya, and Ganesha.
Like Borobudur, Prambanan is a three-dimensional mandala. But if Borobudur is a Buddhist mandala leading to a state beyond form, then Prambanan is a Hindu mandala affirming the hierarchical structure of the universe.
Thanks to two female students doing an internship for the tour of the complex.
Near Prambanan is the train station. A comfortable commuter train took us to the central station of Yogyakarta for 40,000 rupees (200 rubles). Fast and comfortable.
3 round concentrators symbolizing reality.