A photo of mine of Borobudur has been published on the front cover of the latest National Geographic Traveller magazine.
Borobudur sits on the island of Java, not far from Yogyakarta. The world's largest Buddhist temple, it is an authentic masterpiece of architecture. Builders constructed it over 1,000 years ago from two million stone blocks, shaping a massive symmetrical stupa wrapped around a small, gentle hill. Borobudur was already on my photographic list during my journey across Southeast Asia last year — this was my second visit, almost twenty years after my first trip to Indonesia in 1997.
Even back then, Borobudur was already Indonesia's most popular tourist attraction. Nothing prepared me for how overcrowded and noisy it had become when I returned. And it wasn't even the weekend.
To get better images, I decided to spend one night in the village next to the temple. Staying nearby allowed me to experience Borobudur under every available lighting condition, especially at sunset and sunrise. August is usually packed with European tourists. However, it is also the driest and sunniest month, making it the best time for photography.
I reached Borobudur in the early afternoon after about an hour's taxi ride from Yogyakarta. My plan was to buy the special sunset ticket (an outrageous €30!). It granted access to the temple until one hour after sunset, when staff required all standard ticket holders to leave.
With the crowds gone, the atmosphere changed completely. The temple went from noisy and overcrowded to only slightly busy. Appreciating its architectural and spiritual beauty became far easier now. I could finally explore hundreds of small stupas and serene-faced Buddha sculptures in relative calm.
The entire Borobudur temple stands on a 118 m by 118 m base. Three circular terraces top the six square ones below, with four stairways leading upward through carved gateways to the summit.
Unlike most Buddhist temples, builders did not construct Borobudur as a dwelling for the gods. Instead, it represents the Buddhist cosmic mountain, Meru. At the base lies the real, earthly world — a world of desires and passions. Nirvana awaits at the summit. As you spiral upward through the temple passages, you symbolically follow the path to enlightenment.
The highest terrace was slightly crowded. Most visitors with the special ticket had gathered there, caring mainly about the misty sunset and ignoring the architectural beauty right behind them. This worked perfectly for me.
With no one around, I had plenty of time to find the angles I wanted. I photographed Borobudur's statues and stupas with the distant sunset filling the background. The only disappointment was a dense afternoon haze that completely obscured Mount Merapi, which rises elegantly cone-shaped from the jungle in the background.
On my previous visit, the sunset light had been much better. I remember the last rays of the sun turning Mount Merapi a beautiful orange — and back then I was shooting Fujichrome Velvia slide film with my analog Nikon camera! That said, I certainly couldn't complain about the weather and light conditions I found last summer.
I set my tripod next to the serene face of a seated Buddha and pointed my camera toward the stunning view. A lovely patchwork of bright green paddy fields and strips of dense tropical forest stretched below. Above them blazed a vivid sunset sky in saturated reds and oranges.
I started shooting while trying to fully absorb the spirituality and emotions surrounding me. I was happy like a child. Darkness eventually fell, and it was time to leave the temple.
Last week — almost one year after that day — the head of the travel photo agency I contribute to emailed me. He told me that National Geographic Traveller had selected and purchased one of my Borobudur sunset photos. They planned to use it as the front cover of the June/July 2019 issue.
News that definitely made my day!