Borobudur Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the world was built in the 8th/9th Century AD. It is constructed as a stepped pyramid, made from grey volcanic rock, with 6 square terraces topped by 3 circular terraces with a central circular stupa at its highest point. The walls of the terraces are covered with bass relief carvings, some 2,600 of them, illustrating Buddhist beliefs. The terraces, in groups of 3, represent the 3 stages of enlightenment in the Buddhist faith. One enters via the eastern side stairway and passes in a clockwise direction to the stairway on the next side of the temple and then up to the next level. On each level there are many niches, each containing a statue of Buddha. At the summit there are 72 ‘open’ stupas and a 10m diameter stupa in the centre of the top level. The top of the temple is about 30 metres high. The carvings of the relief panels are amazing; life-like scenes of Buddhist beliefs and stories. There are a lot of steps to climb.
For more information see; https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592/.
Unfortunately, it was rather a grey day when I visited in January 2026 and some of my images look as if they were black and white photos. I have converted them into anaglyphs following some requests for these images, as they may be easier for some people to see in 3D. You just need red/cyan glasses to view them in 3D.
Nature and Travel Photography in 3D 