Borobudur The Greatest Temple In The World

Borobudur temple is the name of a Buddhist temple located in Magelang, Central Java. Location of the temple is approximately 100 km southwest of Semarang and 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta. Borobudur temple is a very great historical sites and dashing. Many domestic and foreign tourists come to enjoy the splendor of State. Borobudur Temple does have a uniqueness and characteristics. Sculptures and carvings that exist at every level has its own value.

History Of Borobudur Temple

Borobudur was built around the year 800 AD or the 9th century. Borobudur was built by the adherents of Mahayana Buddhism during the reign of Syailendra dynasty. Borobudur Temple was founded by King Samaratungga from Syailendra dynasty. The possibility of this temple was built around 824 AD and was completed around the year 900 AD during the reign of Queen Pramudawardhani who is the daughter of Samaratungga. While the architects who contributed to build this temple according to the story of hereditary named Gunadharma.

The word Borobudur is based on the first written evidence written by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Governor General of the United Kingdom in Java, which gives the name of this temple. There is no written evidence that older who named Borobudur. Only one of the oldest documents that show the existence of this temple is Nagarakretagama book, written by mpu Prapanca in 1365. In the book is written that this temple was used as a place of Buddhist meditation.

Meaning of the name Borobudur is "monastery in the hills", which comes from the word "bara" (temple or monastery) and "beduhur" (hills or high places) in Sanskrit. Therefore, in accordance with the meaning of the name Borobudur, then this place long ago used as a place of Buddhist worship.

Since volcanic eruptions, most of the Borobudur buildings covered with volcanic soil. In addition, the building is also covered with various trees and shrubs for centuries. Then the building of this temple began in the days of forgotten Islam arrived in Indonesia around the 15th century.

In 1814 when the British occupied Indonesia, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles heard of the discovery of huge archaeological objects in the Bumisegoro village of Magelang. Due to the great interest the history of Java, then immediately ordered Raffles HC Cornelius, a Dutch engineer, to investigate the location of the discovery which was a hill covered with shrubs.

Cornelius assisted by about 200 men cut trees and remove shrubs that covered the giant building. Because the building considering the already fragile and could collapse, then report to the Raffles Cornelius invention includes several images. Since that discovery, Raffles was awarded as the man who started the restoration of Borobudur and the attention of the world. In 1835, the entire area of ​​the temple has been unearthed. The temple is kept restored in the Dutch colonial period.

After Indonesia gained its independence, in 1956, the Indonesian government requested the assistance of UNESCO to examine the damage to Borobudur. Then in 1963, out of the official Indonesian government's decision to conduct the restoration of Borobudur temple with the help of UNESCO. However, this restoration was only really started on August 10, 1973. The process of restoration was recently completed in 1984. Since 1991, Borobudur designated as World Heritage or World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Level Structure Of Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Building shaped punden staircase consists of 10 levels, measuring 123 x 123 meters. Height of 42 meters and 34.5 meters before it was renovated after the renovation because the lowest level was used as a drag. This Buddhist temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies in the complex. Six lowest level of a square and two upper circular form, and the highest level in the form of Buddhist stupa facing to the west.

Each level represents the stages of human life. Corresponding schools of Mahayana Buddhism, every person who wants to reach the level of the Buddha should be through every level of life.

Kamadhatu: the base of Borobudur, symbolizing the human are still bound by lust.
Rupadhatu: four levels on it, symbolizing human beings that have set themselves free from lust but still tied to appearance and shape. At that level, a statue of Buddha placed open.
Arupadhatu: three levels above where the Buddhist stupa placed in the holes. It symbolizes man who had been free from lust, appearance, and shape.
Arupa: the top that symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing.

Each level has reliefs that will be read coherently run clockwise (towards the left of the entrance of the temple). In the reliefs of Borobudur tells of a legendary story, a variety of story content, among others, there are reliefs of the Hindu epic Ramayana, there are also reliefs Jataka stories. In addition, there are relief panels describing the condition of society at that time. For example, relief of farmers' activity reflecting the advance of agriculture system and relief of sailing boat representing the advance of shipping at that time centered on Bergotta (Semarang).

All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect the Buddha's teachings. A Buddhist from India named Atisha, the 10th century once visited this temple that was built 3 centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe. Thanks to visiting Borobudur and having the script of Serlingpa Buddhism (one of the King of Sriwijaya), Atisha was able to develop Buddhism. He became head Vikramasila monastery and taught Tibetans of practicing Dharma. Six manuscripts of Serlingpa was condensed into a core doctrine called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" or better known by the name Bodhipathapradipa.

Borobudur Temple Building Material 

Borobudur is the second largest temple after Ankor Wat temple in Cambodia. Borobudur Temple building area 15,129 m2, composed of 55,000 m3 of rock, from 2 million pieces of rocks. Average stone size 25 cm x 10 cm x 15 cm. Overall length of cut stone 500 km with a total weight of 1.3 million tons of stone. The walls of Borobudur Temple surrounded by pictures or reliefs which are a series of stories that made ​​up the panel in 1460. The length of each panel 2 meters. If the series of reliefs that stretched the length of the approximately 3 km of relief entirely. The number of levels there are ten, 1-6 levels of a square, while the 70-10 round. Arca found throughout the temple buildings totaling 504 units. High temple of the soil surface until the end of the main stupa was 42 meters, 34.5 meters but now lives after being struck by lightning.

According to the investigation of an anthropologist, ethnologist Austria, Robert von Heine Geldern, ancestor of the Indonesian people are familiar with grammar and culture in the Neolithic period Megalithic originating from South Vietnam and Cambodia. In ancient Megalithic that the ancestors of Indonesia to make the tomb of his ancestors as well as a place of worship tiered pyramid building, getting to the top gets smaller. One was found in Lebak Sibedug Leuwiliang Bogor West Java. Similar buildings are also found in Sukuh near Solo, Borobudur Temple also. If we look from a distance, Borobudur will look like a staircase or a similar arrangement of building the pyramids and a stupa. Unlike the giant pyramids in Egypt and the Pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico Borobudur is another version of pyramid building. Borobudur pyramid form kepunden staircase will not be found in the region and any country, including in India. This is one of the advantages of Borobudur temple which is a typical Buddhist architecture in Indonesia.

Vesak (Waisak) Celebration at Borobudur

Every year on the full moon in May (or June in leap years), Buddhists in Indonesia to commemorate Vesak (waisak) at Borobudur. Vesak is celebrated as the day of birth, death and the time when Siddhartha Gautama obtain the highest wisdom to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. The third event is called Vesak Trisuci. Vesak ceremony centered on three Buddhist temples by walking from the Mendut to Pawon and ends at Borobudur.
On the eve of Vesak, particularly during peak moment of full moon, Buddhists gathered around Borobudur. At that time, Borobudur is believed to be a gathering place of supernatural power. According to belief, during Vesak, the Buddha will appear in a look at the top of the mountain in the south.

Lihat Peta Lebih Besar

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Stone-expert Mission in Borobudur World Heritage Site

In consultation with the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia and the World Heritage Centre, a technical mission was organized on Borobudur World Heritage Site from 27 September to 7 October 2006. Italian stone-expert Prof. Costantino Meucci inspected the site in collaboration with the team of conservationists from the Borobudur Heritage Conservation Institute.

Despite the great efforts made over the years for the conservation of the stones, the monitoring programme conducted by the Borobudur Heritage Conservation Institute has shown that the rate of material deterioration of the stone continues to increase, especially as far as scaling is concerned (but also alveolization and cementation). Even if a large part of this deterioration of the stone is natural and cannot be stopped, it seems that it could be reduced by more adapted maintenance practices and treatments on the site.

The Mission hence aimed at reviewing the current methodology of stone conservation at Borobudur Complex and designing new activities for monitoring and research. Prof. Costantino Meucci observed the deterioration of the stones onsite and had the opportunity to analyse samples in the laboratories of the Borobudur Heritage Conservation Institute.

During his mission, Prof. Meucci also inspected recently earthquake-affected Prambanan World Heritage Compounds and Taman Sari Water Castle in Yogyakarta and gave advice to the local authorities for the emergency protection and rehabilitation of these sites.

UNESCO has been actively involved in safeguarding the Borobudur World Heritage Site since 1973. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991, Borobudur is one of seven World Heritage Sites in Indonesia. It is our duty to continue to raise international awareness, not only to preserve this outstanding masterpiece and to treasure it for future generations to come, but also to do it justice, by teaching others to appreciate and understand its significance and artistic beauty.

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Interdisciplinary research in Prambanan

Interdisciplinary research in Prambanan World Heritage Compounds and Taman Sari Water Castle in Yogyakarta.

(Date: February 6, 2007) Within the framework of the project entitled “Protection and Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage in the Earthquake-affected areas of the Special Province of Yogyakarta and the Province of Central Java” funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNESCO Office, Jakarta in close collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism, is currently implementing two major interdisciplinary research programmes in Prambanan World Heritage Compounds (including Lumbung and Sewu Temples) and Taman Sari Water Castle, which have been affected by the 27 May 2006 earthquake in the region. The aim of the research, which involves archeologists, civil engineers, architects, geologists and other experts from Indonesia, is to assist the Government of Indonesia in the safeguarding of cultural heritage of Yogyakarta and Central Java affected by the earthquake, especially by identifying the deep causes of the damages and by giving technical recommendations to address them for the long-term rehabilitation efforts. This comprehensive research programme that started in December 2006 runs until March 2007 and is implemented in cooperation with the Archaeological Site offices of Yogyakarta Special Province and Central Java Province (under the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia), as well as experts from the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta. In Prambanan World Heritage Compounds, the research focuses on the structure of the temple through geo-electric and soil mechanical analyses in order to better understand the strength of the soil under the structure. Geo-radar analysis will enable to know the structure inside the temple, while the geomorphology study will describe the level of seismic activity in the surrounding area. Finally, excavations are conduced to know the structure of the lower part of the Temples. According to Dra. Ari Setyastuti, the Unit Head for Prambanan in the Archaeological Site: ‘The research that is being conducted by the Archaeological Office in Yogyakarta with the support from UNESCO is very useful for us to know the damage of the structure of Prambanan and its core. It’s actually a comprehensive research conducted after the past earthquake and it will constitute a positive contribution for further rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, so that we know what must be done’. In Lumbung and Sewu Temples, which are part of the Prambanan World Heritage Compounds, the Archaeological Site Office of the Central Java Province has organized a local expert meeting in order to present the preliminary research results on 10 January 2007. For the time being, research in Sewu Temple has identified concrete cracks inside the structure. Drs. Gutomo, as the project coordinator of Sewu Temple research from the Archaeological Site Office, highlighted the importance of the research supported by UNESCO Office, Jakarta in finding the appropriate technology for the reconstruction of Sewu Temple. In Taman Sari Water Castle, the multidiscipline approach is also very useful to identify new treatments for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the site, as stated by Drs. Tri Hartono M.Hum, the Unit Head for Taman Sari Water Castle in the Archaeological Site Office of the Special Province of Yogyakarta. The reinforcement of “Gapuro Agung” (See photo) is also ongoing process, as part of the emergency recovery works after the seism. The findings of the research programmes in the three sites will be presented by the Indonesian authorities and experts during the International Expert Meeting on the Rehabilitation of quake-affected Prambanan World Heritage Compounds and Taman Sari Water Castle which will be held in Yogyakarta from 5-8 March 2007, with the participation of national and international experts. This International Experts Meeting will finalize the technical recommendations and an integrated action plan for the rehabilitation efforts in these important cultural heritage sites. For further information about the project, please contact Ms Himalchuli Gurung, Programme Specialist for Culture in UNESCO Office, Jakarta or Mr Adi Prasetijo, Project Coordinator based in Yogyakarta.

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