It is a classic Buddhist ritual for pilgrims to carry out the stages of a visit by turning clockwise and gradually up wards around a stupa, until reaching the smallest round, which is that of the unity at the top. This method was already described in pre-Vedic texts prior to 2700 BC;
in India, this is called - by Hindus as well as Jains and Bud dhists - "pradaksina". The idea is to walk around the divine in order to awaken the divine, meaning to bring a statue to life and thus exalt its power, while at the same time apprehending all aspects of its divinity. In India, as through out Southeast Asia, the clockwise direction allows you to keep your right hand physically in contact with the naos (shrine). The Buddhist implications at Borobudur are so very sophisticated and complex that it takes a whole series of zones of varying awareness to reach the unity at its summit.