Nothing anywhere in the world quite compares with the dimensions and magnificent bas-reliefs of the Borobudur, an enormous Buddhist monument erected on the Island of Java in the late 8th century. Declared World Heritage by the UNESCO and restored between 1975 and 1983, it is very popular in the East and has begun to become known to western tourists. Built in the middle of the island and surrounded by volcanoes, the Borobudur – a square-based pyramid with circular terraces – symbolises the union of heaven and earth.

For this first time this book offers an insight into the heart of this stone mandala, enabling readers to understand the Buddhist pantheon of Mahayana by interpreting the scenes of daily life and Indo-Javanese rites sculpted upon it. The photographs of the monument’s magnificent architecture and complex symbolism are by Louis Nou.