Borobudur is an architectural splendour with a splash of Indian culture and religion. This is a Buddhist place of religious worship constructed in the eighth century by the Sailendra dynasty of the Mataram Kingdom and located in the Magelang province at Central Java in Indonesia. It is about sixty to ninety minutes from Prambanan by taxi. There are few places, including the overhyped seven wonders of the world, which can make one feel as exhilarated as being in Borobudur.



After my surreal experience at the Prambanan temple compounds as part of the Central Java sojourn, I looked forward to visiting this tranquil beauty (though I was exhausted from all the walking I had done the previous day at the compounds). I decided riding against the rental scooter, as Borobudur is one-and-a-half hours from the hotel at Prambanan.



I booked a taxi, helped by the assistant manager of the hotel, Widiya (meaning Vidhya or complete knowledge or goddess Durga). To give you the context about the name, people in this region have made a clear distinction between religion and culture. The majority religion is Islam; yet Sanskritised names and epics like the Ramayana are part of their culture.

After an eventless ride, I reached Hotel Manohara along with Hema.The entrance to the ‘sunrise spot’ at Borobudur is through the private entrance at Hotel Manohara. I started the visit early in the morning at 4:30 a.m. with a small torchlight in my hand, climbing the stairs of Borobudur in the dark.



Sweating profusely, I attached my exertion to the unhealthy state of my physique and the tropical weather. Lo and behold, the marvel unfolded slowly as the early morning sun rose up and started to spread its radiance all around the massive structure. Unable to visualize the glory, the colossal elegance did not dawn upon me; I was standing on top of the structure.

