Borobudur

Borobudur, also called Barabudur, is a very old Buddhist temple from the 9th century. It is located 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 beautifully decorated with 2,672 relief panels and originally had 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each sitting inside a special stupa. Pilgrims walk through many stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and balustrades. Borobudur has one of the largest collections of Buddhist reliefs in the world.

Borobudur was built during the time of the Sailendra Dynasty and shows Javanese Buddhist architecture, mixing local traditions of ancestor worship with Buddhist ideas about reaching nirvāṇa. It served as a shrine to the Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. People think it was built in the 8th century but was left unused after the 14th century when many Javanese people turned to Islam.

The world learned about Borobudur in 1814 thanks to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British ruler of Java, who heard about it from local Indonesians. 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 still a popular place for Buddhist pilgrims, especially during Vesak Day, and it is the most visited tourist attraction 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 found about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Yogyakarta and 86 kilometres (53 mi) west of Surakarta. It sits 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 of this is still a mystery.

History

Construction

Hindu clerics had shared stories with the people of Java for many years. This fact was first recorded in the year 450 AD. The Sailendra and Sanjaya dynasties also had a big influence during this time. Many Hindu and Buddhist buildings were built in the area around the Kedu Plain. Buddhist temples, like Borobudur, were built around the same time as the Hindu Prambanan temple area. In 732 AD, King Sanjaya built a special holy stone on Wukir hill, not far from Borobudur.

We don’t know much about how Borobudur was built or why it was built. By looking at the carvings on the hidden part of the temple and old writings from that time, experts think they can guess when it was built. They believe the Sailendra dynasty started building it around 780 AD, and work continued in stages until about 833 AD.

Permission to build Buddhist temples like Borobudur came from King Rakai Panangkaran. He even gave a village to the Buddhist community, showing respect for their beliefs. This shows that there wasn’t serious conflict between Hindus and Buddhists back then. There was peaceful coexistence between different groups.

Abandonment

Borobudur was hidden for many years under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth. We don’t know exactly when people stopped using the temple or visiting it as a holy place. Sometime between 928 and 1006, the capital of the Mataram kingdom moved to East Java after some big volcanic eruptions. This might be why people stopped using Borobudur, but we aren’t sure.

Later, stories began to grow around the temple, sometimes linking it to bad luck or misfortune. For example, a rebel leader who fought against the king in 1709 was defeated near the temple and later died. In 1757, a prince from the Yogyakarta Sultanate visited the temple out of pity for a statue there, but he fell ill and died the next day.

Rediscovery

After Java was controlled by Britain from 1811 to 1816, a British leader named Stamford Raffles took a big interest in Java’s history. In 1814, during a visit to Semarang, 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 cut down trees and cleared the jungle, uncovering the temple. Though Raffles didn’t visit himself, his interest helped bring the temple to the world’s attention.

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. Instead, 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 even added a special top decoration, though later he took it down because it wasn’t built with enough original stones.

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 like pieces of a puzzle. New stones were only used when needed to keep the structure strong. 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 to remember important moments in Buddha’s life. People walk around the temple, climb its steps, and meditate.

Tourism

Borobudur is one of the most visited places in Indonesia. In the mid-1990s, over 2.5 million people visited each year. Tourism has brought both benefits and challenges, especially 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 began with an older structure, but later became a special Buddhist temple. It has nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a large dome. 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, representing stages of enlightenment in Buddhist belief.

Reliefs

Borobudur shows many levels with beautiful stone carvings. The first four walls have detailed carvings that tell stories from old Java life in the 800s. These carvings show scenes from 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, covering a large area. These carvings are arranged in a special way that follows an old ritual. They 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 various Buddhas. These statues are seated with their legs crossed in a special position and are placed on five square platforms and the top platform.

The Buddha statues are found in small spaces called niches. They are arranged in rows on the outer sides of walls called balustrades. The number of statues gets smaller as you go up to the higher platforms. In total, there are 432 Buddha statues on the square platforms. On the top three round platforms, Buddha statues are placed inside special structures called stupas. These round platforms have 72 stupas in total.

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

At first look, all the Buddha statues seem similar, but they each have a special hand position called a mudra. There are five groups of mudras, each representing one of the five main directions. The statues on the lower platforms have four different mudras, while the statues on the top platform all have the same mudra.

Legacy

Borobudur is a source of pride for Indonesia, much like Angkor Wat is for Cambodia. It stands as a symbol of the country's past greatness. Indonesia's first President showed the site to important visitors from other countries. Efforts to restore Borobudur with help from UNESCO have highlighted its importance.

The temple has inspired many things, from museums and art to hotels and money. It is a key attraction for visitors to Indonesia, helping bring people and money to nearby areas. Many people visit Borobudur each year, especially during special Buddhist celebrations.