Borobudur

Borobudur

Borobudur, also called Barabudur, is a very old Buddhist temple from the 800s. It is in Magelang Regency, near the town of Muntilan, northwest of Yogyakarta, in Central Java, Indonesia. The temple is made of gray andesite-like stone and has nine stacked platforms—six square ones and three circular ones—with a central dome on top.

The temple is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and had 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each inside a special stupa. Pilgrims walk through stairways and corridors with many relief panels on the walls.

Borobudur was built during the time of the Sailendra Dynasty and shows Javanese Buddhist architecture. It served as a shrine to the Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. People think it was built in the 700s but was left unused after the 1300s.

The world learned about Borobudur in 1814 thanks to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British ruler of Java. Since then, many efforts have been made to protect and restore the temple. The biggest restoration was finished in 1983 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today, Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia, along with Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It is a popular place for Buddhist pilgrims and a top tourist spot in Indonesia.

Etymology

In Indonesian, old temples are called candi. People call the Borobudur Temple Candi Borobudur. The name Borobudur may come from words meaning "big" and "Buddha." Some believe it means "the city of Buddhas" on a high place.

Two old writings talk about a special Buddhist building, which might be Borobudur. One writing from the year 824 mentions a sacred building named Jinalaya, started by a princess named Pramodhawardhani. Another writing from 842 talks about lands given to support a sacred place called Kamūlān.

Location

See also: Borobudur Temple Compounds

Borobudur is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Yogyakarta and 86 kilometres (53 mi) west of Surakarta. It is in an elevated area between two volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and close to two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. The area, known as the Kedu Plain, is very fertile and is often called "the garden of Java."

During work to restore the temple in the early 1900s, it was found that three Buddhist temples in the area — Borobudur, Pawon, and Mendut — are lined up in a straight line. This suggests there may have been a special connection between these temples, though the exact meaning is still unknown.

History

Construction

Hindu clerics told stories to the people of Java for many years. This started in the year 450 AD. The Sailendra and Sanjaya dynasties were important then. Many Hindu and Buddhist buildings were built in the Kedu Plain. Buddhist temples, like Borobudur, were built near the Hindu Prambanan temple area. In 732 AD, King Sanjaya put a special stone on Wukir hill near Borobudur.

We don’t know much about how or why Borobudur was built. By studying the carvings and old writings, experts think the Sailendra dynasty began building it around 780 AD. Work continued until about 833 AD.

Permission to build Borobudur came from King Rakai Panangkaran. He even gave a village to the Buddhist community. This shows that Hindus and Buddhists lived together peacefully.

Abandonment

Borobudur was hidden for years under volcanic ash and jungle growth. We don’t know when people stopped using the temple. Sometime between 928 and 1006, the capital of the Mataram kingdom moved to East Java after big volcanic eruptions. This might be why people stopped using Borobudur.

Later, stories grew up around the temple, sometimes saying it brought bad luck. For example, a rebel leader was defeated near the temple in 1709 and died. In 1757, a prince from the Yogyakarta Sultanate visited the temple and later fell ill and died.

Rediscovery

After Britain controlled Java from 1811 to 1816, a British leader named Stamford Raffles became interested in Java’s history. In 1814, he heard about a large temple hidden in the jungle near Bumisegoro village. He sent a Dutch engineer named Hermann Cornelius to find it. Cornelius and his team cleared the jungle and uncovered the temple. Raffles’s interest helped make the temple known to the world.

Later, a Dutch official named Christiaan Lodewijk Hartmann continued the work, and by 1835, the whole temple was uncovered. In 1842, Hartmann looked inside the main dome but we don’t know what he found. Other Dutch experts studied the temple and made drawings of its carvings. In 1873, the first detailed study of Borobudur was published.

In 1882, someone suggested taking apart Borobudur and moving its carvings to museums, but this plan was stopped. Efforts began to protect the temple. In 1907, a Dutch engineer named Theodoor van Erp began restoring the temple. He fixed the upper parts and added a special top decoration, but later removed it.

Restoration

Borobudur became famous again in 1885 when a Dutch engineer found a hidden part under the temple. More work was done to protect it. In 1907, a big restoration began. Over one million stones were moved and studied. New stones were only used when needed. The work finished in 1982, and in 1991, UNESCO named Borobudur a World Heritage Site.

Contemporary events

Religious ceremony

After a big renovation in the 1970s, Borobudur became a place for Buddhist ceremonies again. Once a year, during the full moon in May or June, Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Waisak day. People walk around the temple, climb its steps, and meditate.

Tourism

Borobudur is one of the most visited places in Indonesia. Tourism has brought both good and bad things for local communities.

Conservation

UNESCO has pointed out three big concerns for Borobudur: damage from visitors, soil erosion, and missing pieces. Earthquakes and heavy rains also threaten the temple. Many visitors touch the carvings, which causes wear and tear.

Rehabilitation

In 2010, a big eruption from Mount Merapi covered Borobudur in ash. The temple was closed for cleaning, and UNESCO helped with funds to fix the damage. Experts worked to clean and protect the temple stones.

Security threats

In 1985, bombs damaged parts of Borobudur. In 2006, an earthquake hit the area but the temple stayed standing. In 2014, there were worries about safety after a group talked about attacking the temple, so extra security was added.

Visitor overload problem

Many visitors walking up the narrow steps have worn down the stones. To protect them, wooden covers were put on some stairs in 2014, similar to what was done at Angkor Wat. Only 1,200 visitors are allowed in each day, and they must wear special shoes. The government wants to bring in more tourists each year.

Architecture

Borobudur started as an older building and later became a special Buddhist temple. It has nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, with a large dome on top. The temple has many panels and statues of Buddha, showing its importance.

Borobudur is shaped like a large stupa and looks like a giant mandala from above. It has nine platforms, with the lower six being square and the upper three circular. The top platform has seventy-two small stupas around one large central stupa. Each stupa is bell-shaped with openings and statues of Buddha inside.

The temple was built using andesite stones without mortar, using special joints to hold the stones together. It has a good drainage system with unique carved spouts to handle rainwater. The design includes stairways and corridors that guide visitors through the temple.

Reliefs

Borobudur has many levels with beautiful stone carvings. The first four walls have carvings that show scenes from old Java life in the 800s. These carvings show pictures of palaces, forests, villages, temples, markets, plants, animals, and people like kings, queens, princes, soldiers, and everyday folks. They also show special Buddhist beings.

Borobudur has about 2,670 carvings in total. These carvings tell stories about life, good and bad actions, and the journey of a boy named Sudhana who searched for wisdom. The carvings include scenes from the life of the Buddha and his past lives, as well as other stories of wisdom and truth.

Buddha statues

Borobudur has many statues of Buddhas. They sit with their legs crossed and rest on five square platforms and the top platform.

The statues sit in small spaces called niches. They line up on the outer sides of walls called balustrades. There are fewer statues as you climb to higher platforms. In total, there are 432 Buddha statues on the square platforms. On the top three round platforms, Buddha statues sit inside special structures called stupas. These round platforms have 72 stupas.

Originally, there were 504 Buddha statues, but many are now damaged or missing. Some missing statue heads are shown in museums in different countries.

At first glance, all the Buddha statues look similar, but each has a special hand position called a mudra. There are five groups of mudras, each standing for one of the five main directions. Statues on the lower platforms show four different mudras, while those on the top platform all share the same mudra.

Legacy

Borobudur makes Indonesia very proud, just like Angkor Wat makes Cambodia proud. It shows how great Indonesia was long ago. Indonesia’s first President showed the temple to important visitors. With help from UNESCO, efforts were made to restore Borobudur and show how important it is.

The temple has inspired many things, like museums, art, hotels, and money. It is a popular place for visitors to Indonesia, especially during special Buddhist celebrations. Many people visit Borobudur each year.