Photography by Tasha May

Waisak is a holy day for Buddhists and is celebrated annually in Indonesia during the full moon in either May or June at Borobudur Temple in Magelang.  Also known as ‘Buddha Day’, the occasion commemorates the birth of Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini, his enlightenment, and his passing in Kusinara in 543BC.

I had been looking forward to having the chance to celebrate this special day at Borobudur for months, and it exceeded all my expectations, even the lack of a sunrise after arriving so early in the morning and a fair bit of rain in the afternoon, couldn’t dampen our spirits.  It was magical to arrive in the morning before the sun rose and before hoards of people set upon Borobudur, so we had relative peace as we watched monks praying and circling the Temple and it was just the start of an an amazing day..

Early morning at Borobudur Temple

Me touching the statue inside the dome for good luck

Sunrise over Borobudur

Monks arrive at the temple to pray

Monks start their prayers at Borobudur

Walking around the temple

Monks circle each level of the temple after praying

Walking around the next lower level

Monks from around the globe attend Waisak at Borobudur

A group of Muslim students completing a school assignment on Waisak at Borobudur

Finishing their morning prayers and walk around the temple

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