Borobudur

Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist monument. It is located on a remote hilltop in central Java, surrounded by lush vegetation and volcanoes, one of which remains active. The temple was originally built in the 8th century during the reign of the Sailendra dynasty. It was buried in volcanic ash from 1000 until discovered by lieutenant-governor Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814.

The temple features three tiers of intricate stone carvings. The lower tiers have nearly 3,000 bas-relief carvings depicting the life and philosophies of the Buddha. The middle tier showcases stories of the Buddha's life from the Jataka Tales. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues encased within bell-shaped stupas. There are 500 Buddha statues in all at the temple, the largest collection of its kind in the world. A lotus-shaped balcony stands at the temple's highest level. It takes about 20 minutes to climb the stairs to the top. Expect to spend an hour or two exploring the temple.