Borobudur and Srivijaya
Java builds the largest Buddhist monument in the world; Sumatra controls the straits.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 354 years
- Known to
- ± 30 years
- Era
- Post-Classical, Holocene
Borobudur, completed around 825 in central Java, is a stepped stone mandala of nine platforms carrying 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues, designed to be walked as an ascent through the stages of enlightenment. Srivijaya, based in Sumatra, dominates the Malacca and Sunda straits from the seventh century, controlling the choke point of maritime trade between India and China and functioning as a major centre of Buddhist learning.