Borobudur was built under the supervisions of the Sailendra dynasty that controlled Central Java in the 8th and 9th centuries and came to dominate Srivijaya as well, and it was probably constructed between 760 and 830 A.D. The basic shape of Borobudur is a stepped pyramid on a quadrangular plan with a stupa at the top. It was built on a natural hill so it has no interior space. There is no roof an all of its galleries and terraces are open to the sky.
The lowest level has a square floor plan, each side is 370 feet long. It is the Sphere of Desire where the human spirit is chained to greed. The second level 23 feet from the outer edge, providing a wide space around the monument. It is the Sphere of Form where the human spirit is free from greed, but is not able to transcend the material world.
The upper part is the Sphere of Formlessness, where the liberated human spirit has left earthly considerations. The three levels of Borobudur may represent the Buddhist three-part division of the universe.
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