Once in shambles, these Jogja temples are now UNESCO World Heritage sites

Yogyakarta: The beautiful Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, bustling with cultural centres, is famed for its two historical temples- Borobudur and Prambanan- both on the recommended must-see places for visitors.
While the two temples now witness tourist inflows in thousands, what one may not know about these UNESCO World Heritage Sites is that they were once covered in volcanic ash and abandoned with minimal scope for restoration.
Built in the 8th Century in Central Java province, the Borobudur temple contains three parts – a pyramidal base with five square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and a monumental stupa at the top.
Around the circular platforms are 72 open stupas, each containing a statue of Lord Buddha.
When initially discovered, the structure was in a dilapidated state covered with bushes. It took the effort of over 200 locals over a span of two months to clean and restore the sanctity of this temple. The first major restoration, however, took place between 1973 and 1983, in a joint effort by the Indonesian government and UNESCO.
An eruption of Mount Merapi, the country’s second most active volcano, caused large scale destruction in the city in the year 2010. It is believed that ash up to 2.5cm fell on the structure, causing deterioration of the monument.