The Moment Bhikkhu Thudong Arrived at Borobudur Temple

A total of 36 Thudong Bhikkhus arrived at Borobudur Temple, Magelang, Central Java, Saturday (10/5/2025). The group arrived through the Kalpataru gate towards the Marga Utama area which was greeted directly by the Deputy Minister of Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia Irene Umar together with Commercial Director of InJourney Destination Management Hetty Herawati, Director of Finance and Risk Management Joel Siahaan, General Chairperson of the Indonesian Mahanikaya Buddhist Religious Council (MBMI) Agus Jaya, Chairperson of the 2569 Waisak Lantern Festival Committee BE Fatmawati and others.

The ushers gave the monks tuberose flowers, which symbolize purity, while the faithful lined up along the Marga Utama to wait for Bhikkhu Thudong to pass by, scattering flowers along his path.

At around 16.25:XNUMX WIB, dozens of Thudong monks arrived at the Kalpataru gate at the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park. The Thudong monks then continued their journey up to the temple to worship. 

Creative Economy Deputy Irene Umar said that her presence in Borobudur was specifically to welcome the Thudong Bhikkhus who had walked thousands of kilometers from Thailand to Borobudur Temple as part of the 2569 BE Waisak celebrations.

"In order to welcome the monks who have walked, called Thudong. We are here to welcome them. This also shows how important Borobudur Temple is for Buddhists all over the world, not just here (Indonesia). You have to walk across countries to get here," explained Irene Umar.

The Thudong monks and their entourage continued their journey to the top of Borobudur Temple. There, they performed prayers by chanting puja and closed with pradaksina at the top of this World Heritage site.