Borobudur, in Central Java, was built in the 8th century and is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It's a solid, stepped pyramid, the lower portion of which is decorated with 1,460 carved panels illustrating the life of the Buddha and his teachings. These panels, arranged in a series of galleries on four levels, create a narrative of ever increasing spiritual awareness, culminating in the three circular upper terraces, with 72 stupas, each containing an image of the Buddha. This upper level with its commanding view of the surrounding valley "symbolizes the formless world of pure knowledge and perfection, the beatific vision of a bodhisattva or enlighted one." (John Miksic in "The Mysteries of Borobudur")