Borobudur Temple

This monument is a model of the universe and was built as a sacred place to glorify the Buddha and also functions as a place of pilgrimage to guide humanity to move from the world of lust to enlightenment and wisdom according to Buddhist teachings. Pilgrims enter through the east side and begin the ritual at the base of the temple by walking around this sacred building in a clockwise direction, while continuing to climb to the next steps through three levels of realm in Buddhist cosmology. These three levels are Kāmadhātu (the realm of lust), Rupadhatu (the realm of the form), and Arupadhatu (the realm of the intangible). On their way the pilgrims walked through a series of aisles and stairs to watch no less than 1,460 beautiful relief panels carved into the walls and balustrades.