Borobudur (Civ5)/Civilopedia

Borobudur is a Buddhist candi in Magelang, Java, consisting of six square platforms surmounted by three circular platforms, atop which are 72 small stupas surrounding a large central stupa. The structure is decorated with 2672 bas-relief carvings and 504 Buddhist statues. The temple's three levels represent the three realms of Buddhist cosmology: the world of desires, the world of forms, and the formless world. Construction of Borobudur was completed at some point between 778 and 850 AD, during the Sailendra dynasty. Around 1006 the nearby capital of the successor Medang Kingdom was abandoned due to a series of volcanic eruptions; pilgrimages to Borobudur ceased shortly thereafter. The temple was lost for centuries under layers of ash and jungle until discovered by the British lieutenant governor of Java, Sir Stamford Raffles, in 1814.