Buddhist and Hindu temples in Yogyakarta

Borobudor Temple, which we visited today, is a set of Buddhist temples just outside of Jogja that were built in the (approximately) 8th to 9th century. We arrived at Borobodur Temple at around 4:45 with our cameras, tripod, and flashlights to capture and see the very first sunrise of 2020. It was quite cloudy, so while we did not have the epic colors of the best sunrises possible, it was really beautiful to see the haze surrounding the temple and the nearby mountains, as well as to see a quick clear view of the Merapi volcano nearby from the top of the temple. It was also good to be there before the real crowds of the late morning and afternoon descended upon us. It’s the general rule to follow when visiting a very touristy site: try to go as early as possible to get fewer people, smaller crowds, and more time to really soak up and enjoy your time in the place. A lot of these sites, including the Prambanan Hindu temple, were uncovered by accident while people were digging up volcanic ash and happened upon these ruins. It is mind boggling to think that a civilization of people spent so much time, energy, and money building these temples that were then abandoned, buried by natural disasters, and then uncovered like new by later generations and people seeking to preserve the past for future generations of people to enjoy.

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