Borobudur: Temple in Indonesia

The Temple Borobudur, or sometimes "Barabudur", is a Mahayana Buddhist temple located near Muntilan on the island of Java in Indonesia. Built during the rule of the Sailendra dynasty (c. 650-1025 AD), Borobudur remains the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Buddhists from the Javanese population performed pilgrimages and other rituals at Borobudur until the 14th and 15th centuries, when the temple was abandoned because many Javanese converted to Islam. Rediscovered in 1814, Borobudur has since been the subject of immense archaeological investigations by the Dutch and Javanese. UNESCO designated Borobudur as a World Heritage Site in 1991, following restoration in the 1970s and 1980s overseen by President Suharto (1967-1998) and UNESCO, and the iconic temple continues to play a powerful role in shaping Indonesia's aesthetics, architecture, and cultural identity. Borobudur is the most visited tourist spot in Indonesia.