Borobudur Temple

Architect Gunadharma

Official name Borobudur Temple Compounds

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-
century Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Magelang, Central
Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of nine stacked
platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome.
The temple is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha
statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues,
each seated inside a perforated stupa.[1] It is the world's largest
Buddhist temple, as well as one of the greatest Buddhist
monuments in the world.
Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra
Dynasty, the temple was designed in Javanese Buddhist
architecture, which blends the Indonesian indigenous cult
of ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of
attainingNirvana. The temple also demonstrates the influences
of Gupta art that reflects India's influence on the region, yet there
are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make
Borobudur uniquely Indonesian. The monument is both a shrine to
the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey
for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path
around the monument and ascends to the top through three levels
symbolic of Buddhist cosmology: Kāmadhātu (the world of
desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world
of formlessness). The monument guides pilgrims through an
extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative
relief panels on the walls and the balustrades. Borobudur has the
largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the
world.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was constructed in the 9th
century and abandoned following the 14th-century decline
ofHindu kingdoms in Java and the Javanese conversion to
Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814
by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who
was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has
since been preserved through several restorations. The largest
restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by
the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the
monument was listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year, Buddhists
in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is
Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.

Colosseum

The Colosseum or Coliseum (/kɒləˈsiːəm/ kol-ə-SEE-əm),

also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum
Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro
Flavio [amfiteˈaːtroˈflaːvjo] or Colosseo [kolosˈsɛːo]), is an
oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built
of concrete and sand, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built and
is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and
engineering ever.
The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum.
Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 72 AD, and
was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus.
Further modifications were made during the reign ofDomitian (81–
96). These three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty, and
the amphitheatre was named in Latin for its association with their
family name (Flavius).
The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000
and 80,000 spectators, having an average audience of some
65,000; it was used for gladiatorial contests and public
spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-
enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical
mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in
the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as
housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress,
a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
Although partially ruined because of damage caused by
earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is still
an iconicsymbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most
popular tourist attractions and has also links to the Roman Catholic
Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the
Cross procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[10]
The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of
the five-cent euro coin.
The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum
Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheater. The building
was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, following the
reign of Nero. This name is still used in modern English, but
generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In
antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the
unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum (with Caesareum an
adjective pertaining to the title Caesar), but this name may have
been strictly poetic as it was not exclusive to the Colosseum;
Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed
an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).
The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived
from a colossal statue of Nero nearby[5] (the statue of Nero was
named after the Colossus of Rhodes).[citation needed] This statue was
later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness
of Helios (Sol) or Apollo, the sun god, by adding the
appropriate solar crown. Nero's head was also replaced several
times with the heads of succeeding emperors. Despite
its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval
era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as
an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome.
In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to
the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the
statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted: Quamdiu stat
Colisæus, stat et Roma; quando cadet colisæus, cadet et Roma;
quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus ("as long as the Colossus
stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall;
when Rome falls, so falls the world"). This is often mistranslated to
refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus (as in, for
instance,Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). However, at
the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine
noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was
still known as the Flavian amphitheatre.
The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down
to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000 the name "Colosseum" had
been coined to refer to the amphitheatre. The statue itself was
largely forgotten and only its base survives, situated between the
Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.
The name further evolved to Coliseum during the Middle
Ages. In Italy, the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo, and
other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such
as Coloseumul (Romanian), le Colisée (French), el
Coliseo (Spanish) and o Coliseu (Portuguese).

Taj Mahal
 .

The Taj Mahal (/ˌtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl/, more

often /ˈtɑːʒ/;\ Persian for "crown of palaces", pronounced [ˈt̪ aːdʒ
mɛˈɦɛl]) is a white marblemausoleum located on the southern bank
of the Yamuna River in the Indian city of Agra. It was
commissioned in 1632 by theMughal emperor Shah
Jahan (reigned 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his favorite wife
of three, Mumtaz Mahal.
Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in
1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for an
additional ten years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have
been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the
time to be around 32 million Indian rupees, which in 2015 would be
valued at around 52.8 billion Indian rupees ($827 million US). The
construction project employed around 20,000 artisans under the
guidance of a board of architects led byUstad Ahmad Lahauri.
The domed marble tomb is part of an integrated complex
consisting of gardens and two red-sandstonebuildings surrounded
by a crenellated wall on three sides.
The Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the best example
of Mughal architecture and is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim
art in India". It is one of the world’s most celebrated structures and a
symbol of India’s rich history. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1983, the Taj Mahal attracts some 3 million visitors a year. On 7
July 2007 it was declared one of the Seven winners of New7Wonders of
the World (2000–2007) initiative in Lisbon.