Borobudur Temple Compounds is the World Heritage name for an area that includes three Buddhist temples in Central Java, Indonesia. These temples are named Borobudur, Mendut, and Pawon. They were built during the Shailendra dynasty around the 8th and 9th centuries CE and are lined up in a straight line.
Borobudur is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Yogyakarta. It is located on a plateau between two pairs of volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. The Kedu Plain, where the temples are located, is considered a sacred place by the Javanese people. It is called "the garden of Java" because the land is very fertile and supports rich agriculture.
Alignment
During restoration work in the early 20th century, it was found that three Buddhist temples in the area—Borobudur, Pawon, and Mendut—are lined up in a straight line. This might be a coincidence, but it matches a local story about an ancient brick road connecting Borobudur to Mendut, with walls on both sides. The temples share similar designs and decorations, which suggests they may have been connected through a special ritual to form a unified spiritual place. However, the exact details of this ritual are not known.
Museums
Inside the Borobudur Temple Compounds, there are two museums: Karmawibhangga Museum and Samudra Raksa Museum.
Other archaeological sites
Other Buddhist and Hindu temples are located throughout the area. The oldest is the Gunung Wukir or Canggal Hindu temple, built in 732 CE. A stone inscription found at the Canggal temple complex states that King Sanjaya, a ruler who worshipped Shiva, asked for a place of worship to be built on Wukir hill, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of Borobudur.
The Ngawen temple is located to the east of the Mendut temple.
The ruins of the Banon temple, a Hindu temple, are found a few hundred meters north of the Pawon temple. The temple could not be rebuilt because many stones are missing. However, several stone statues of Hindu gods, including Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, and Ganesha, were discovered in good condition. These statues are now displayed at the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta.