Admining the grandeur of Borobudur at day and seeing details ofeach statue and stones with
relief of the cunstructors is some thing that people from around the world are longing to do.
However, not many people realize that Borobudur also has other unique view, namely the
scenery of the beautiful rising sun that blows the statue of Buddha sitting cross-legged at the
peak of the temple that was constructed in the minth century.
If you never experience it before, trying to color the coming of the new life in the beginning
of the year will become an unforgettable experience. The rising sun with its bright light will
at least encourage you to live the life one year a head, and for sure it becomes a remembrance that wisdom or nirvana symbolized
by the peak of this temple is the main destination of your life.
In order to enjoy the scenery of the sunrise, you can stay at Manohara hotel in
the complex of Borobudur temple since evening. Alternatively, you may join
Borobudur Sunrise package offered by some tour agencies. Otherwise, you will not
be able to enter the temple complex and you will miss the sunrise, since the
entrance gate of this tourism object is only open at around 07:30a.m.
If you stay at Maonhara, you can start climbing Borobodur temple at any time to
enjoy the sunrise. However, hotel management and some tour agencies usually lead
you to go to the peak of Borobodur at 03:00 a.m. in order for you to have enough
time to reach the peak on foot and you do not have to wait too long for the
sunrise. The rise of the sun can usually be enjoyed at around 05:00a.m. It
suggested that you wear your coat to expel the cold weather and to bring
flashlight for lighting.
Once the sky in the east begins to shine, you are ready to see the movement of
the sunrise. Once the reddish yellow light emerges, it means dawn has come in
the peak of Borobudur symbolizing nirvana. Uniqueness of watching sunrise in
Borobodur is that the sun seems to emerge in between two mountains, namely
Merapi as one of the most active mountains in the world and Merbabu that is
often said to be its twin.
When Merapi is active and the fog does not cover it, you will be able to see
glowing magma pouring out of the mountain directing to the upper reaches of
Krasak River. The bright red color of magma will look so bright in contrast with
the dark sky. Last January 2006, tens of tourists enjoyed this view and during
the increased activity of Merapi lately, you have the opportunity to enjoy it.
Another scenery that is not less interesting is the villages around Borobudur
that you will see when looking down. Agriculture and culture that currently are
living in those villages will help you imagine the condition of the villages
around the temple during the construction of this temple. If thick fog covers
your view, you can still see tall, green trees emerge from the surface of the
fog. The movement of the rising sun can also be observed from the light intense
blowing the Buddha statue. The higher the sun, the brighter the Buddha statue
will look, changing its black color to bright gray. If you take quite good
camera to take pictures, you can record the moment when the light of the sun
begins to blow Buddha statue and make part of the statue brighter compared to
other part.
When the sun begins to burn your skin, it signals that you should descend the
temple. However, you need not worry, you can still walk around the villages
around Borobudur temple that previously was only seen from the top. Some
villages are determined to become tourism village. You can see the activities of
people such as farming, producing potteries, sculpturing statues and others.
Your presence in the villages at least brings hopes for local people currently
that live more difficult life.
