Dimensions
190 x 250 x 10mm
Borobudur in Central Java is the world's largest Buddhist temple. Its 2000 carvings tell the story of Buddha's life. The awe-inspired silence that befalls today's visitors is not the only quiet this incredible structure has experienced. It lay deserted in the jungle for over 1000 years. The Eighth Wonder of the World is shrouded in mystery. No-one knows exactly when it was built or by whom.
Why was the temple suddenly abandoned just before completion? Why did it remain hidden for so long? And how did it come to be rediscovered and rejuvenated by none other than the famous Englishman, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, scientist, diplomat, author and explorer?
At the age of 30, Raffles became Java's Governor Lieutenant. Among the reports he received came one of special interest - a huge temple had been located in dense jungle. Raffles investigated. Unlike other scholars of the age, his first reaction was not to hack the temple to bits and ornament his garden with the sculptures. He had the temples surveyed, sketched and described in exact detail. While overcome with the sense of awe, he was also determined to decipher the meaning of the temple.
This book - like Raffles - seeks to solve the mystery: who built the temple? Why, and for what purpose? How was this amazing structure of two million blocks of stone actually constructed? Why was it abandoned in such apparent haste?
