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The Cabinet June 24, 2026 · Borobudur, Central Java

The Largest Buddhist Monument in the World Had Been Buried for a Thousand Years When Stamford Raffles Asked About It

Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument on the central plain of Java — 2,672 relief panels, 504 buddha statues, six concentric square terraces topped by three circular ones. It had been abandoned by about 1100 AD and buried under volcanic ash and jungle vegetation for the next seven centuries. [Stamford Raffles](/articles/stamford-raffles-singapore) heard about it in 1814 and sent a survey team.

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The Cabinet June 24, 2026 · Borobudur, Central Java

The Largest Buddhist Monument in the World Was Buried for a Millennium and Rediscovered by Stamford Raffles

Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple complex in central Java with about 2,672 narrative relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. It was abandoned in the 14th century, progressively buried by jungle and volcanic ash, and rediscovered in 1814 on orders of the British lieutenant-governor Sir Stamford Raffles.

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