Borobudur
Borobudur is a solid jewel of the Central Java province. This temple complex is considered the oldest among Buddhist shrines. The colossal size of the structure is not worth talking about at all! Borobudur clearly illustrates the proverb: “It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times”. The temple is recognized as an example of Indonesian medieval architecture and therefore since 1991 it has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites under No. 522.
.Video: Borobudur
. Contents- Basic information
- History of Borobudur
- Architecture of Borobudur
Borobudur Museums - Practical information
- How to get to Borobudur
Basic information
Borobudur rises in one of the picturesque regions of Java Island, the sacred Kebu Valley, 40 kilometers from Yogyakarta. The discovery of the temple is reminiscent of the plot of an adventure novel about Indiana Jones. For a long time Borobudur was hidden under volcanic ash among the dense jungles of Java and saw the light again only in the early XIX century. Now the Buddhist “stone lotus” is one of Indonesia’s most popular attractions.
.The origin of the name of the temple is still a mystery and gives rise to new hypotheses. The first theory suggests that the word “borobudur” came from a forgotten dialect of the Indonesian language and means “Thousands of Buddhas”. The second theory says: “boro” is the name of the territory, “boudur” translates as “antiquity”. Accordingly, the name of the Buddhist temple means “ancient territory”. The third version is the most logical: so, the word “boro” called the complex of monasteries, but “boudur” – a modified form of the Balinese dialect “bedukhur” – “on top.”
.History of Borobudur
Documentary sources have not preserved precise information about the period affected by the construction of the temple complex. The era was established tentatively, based on the results of comparison of carved reliefs of the hidden foot of Borobudur and inscriptions that were found in royal letters of the VIII-IX centuries. The foundation stone of the temple was probably laid in the year 800, when the Sailendra dynasty held power over the kingdom of Mataram. The construction supposedly took 75 years.
.The history of Borobudur cannot be called a happy one. The peak of the temple complex’s popularity among pilgrims was followed by a long period of neglect when the Brahman priests left the sacred site. The reasons remain a mystery. In the 10th-11th centuries, King Mpu Sindok moved the capital of Mataram to the region of East Java, fearing volcanic eruptions. During the next one, Borobudur was also affected: it was partially hidden by a thick layer of ash from the Merapi volcano.
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However, the temple continued to live in the memory of people, but already as a source of superstition associated with bad luck and bad luck. At this place were executed participants in the uprising against King Pakubuwono I, after a visit to the “hidden” Borobudur, the Crown Prince of Monkonagoro fell ill and died… Curious travelers came to the temple complex less and less often, and the jungle made this place inaccessible. This continued until the early nineteenth century, when Java became subject to the British crown.
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At that time, Governor T. S. Raffles took an interest in the island’s history. Since the Englishman collected antiques, he often traveled around Java and interacted with the locals. A trip to Semarang was fateful, where Raffles was told about a legendary temple hidden in the jungle near the village of Bumisegoro. The governor decided to see if the rumors were true and sent Dutch engineer G. Cornelius to investigate. The latter, enlisting the help of 2 hundred men, thinned out the vegetation considerably and began excavating Borobudur..
Fearing the collapse of the walls of the ancient temple, Cornelius did not risk freeing all the galleries from volcanic ash and earth. However, the result was sufficient for a report that included detailed drawings of the structure. Although Raffles mentioned the engineer’s involvement in passing, the governor is still credited with the reopening of the temple and fame as the man who brought Borobudur to the world’s attention.
The Dutchman’s work was continued by C. L. Hartmann, a resident of the Kedu region, and by 1835 the excavation of the temple complex was completed. The study and sketching of the monument of Indonesian architecture was undertaken by F. C. Winsel and J. F. G. Brumund. F. G. Brumund. They completed the study of Borobudur in 1859. However, the article on the temple was never published: Brumund refused to cooperate at the last moment. A more cooperative scholar, C. Limans, was commissioned to write a monograph. It was published in 1873 and translated into French a year later. The first photograph of Borobudur was taken in the same period.
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The ancient temple complex became a magnet for thieves and treasure hunters who wanted to profit from “souvenirs” from Borobudur. The activities of some vandals were even approved by the colonial government. Thus, in 1896, King Chulalongkorn of Siam visited the island and returned home with 8 carts loaded with sculptures from the temple. These included statues of the gatekeeper (dvarapala) and lions, gargoyles, images of the founder of Buddhism, relief panels and even drainpipes! Now most of the exhibits are part of the collection of the National Museum of Bangkok.
. The inspector of cultural exhibits was also dismissive of the shrine. Speaking of the unstable condition of the monument, he suggested that the temple should be “dismantled” to the ground, and the sculptures and bas-reliefs should be made part of museum expositions. Only the intervention of V. P. Groeneveld saved Borobudur from an unenviable fate. The curator of the archaeological collection of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences conducted a thorough study of the shrine. The report showed that the inspector’s fears were unfounded, so the temple was not touched.Borobudur attracted attention in the late 19th century when the chairman of the Archaeological Society in Yogyakarta, Ya. W. Izherman discovered the hidden foot of the site. At that time, measures were also taken to protect the religious monument. In 1900, on his initiative, a commission was set up to assess the condition of Borobudur. It included engineer B. W. van de Kamer, officer T. van Erp and historian J. L. A. Brandes.
.The restoration of the shrine took about five years (1907-1911). After the walls of the temple galleries “sagged” and cracks appeared in the reliefs, the reconstruction of Borobudur was resumed, but not for long. World War II and the Indonesian National Revolution halted the reconstruction work. This led to the Buddhist temple facing an imminent threat of destruction in the mid-20th century. An initiative by UNESCO representatives and Soekmono’s “Save Borobudur” campaign helped preserve the monument.
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In 1975, extensive reconstruction of the temple complex began. It was sponsored in part by Germany, France, Cyprus, Belgium and Australia. The restoration of Borobudur cost $6.9 million dollars. In 1991, the temple was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Now Borobudur is recognized as the most visited attraction in Indonesia. The “stone lotus” is also popular among Buddhist pilgrims.
.Architecture of Borobudur
The temple complex covers an area of 1.5 hectares. It is erected in the form of a huge stupa made of 2 million stone blocks, and from a bird’s eye view it resembles a mandala (Buddhist model of the universe). Gunadharma is considered to be the architect of the temple. Unfortunately, little is known about this man. Even his name was recovered not from official documents, but from Javanese folk tales. The foundation of Borobudur is made in the form of a square, each side of which is equal to 118 meters. On this foundation rise 9 tiers: 6 square and 3 round. As the height above the ground increases, the area of the tiers of the temple decreases.
.The upper platform “shelters” 72 stupas of small size, which surround the central stupa larger. They are characterized by a bell-shaped form and numerous diamond-shaped holes (probably playing the role of decorative elements). Statues of Buddha lurk behind these carved “fences”. A popular belief among tourists is that if you slip your hand unnoticed into one of the stupa holes and touch the stone fingers of the spiritual teacher, you will be accompanied by happiness and good luck.
.Borobudur is remarkable in that it has no interior space. The temple complex was erected around a hill, previously covered with stones. The result was a kind of pyramid, which rises more than 30 meters above the ground. Each side of Borobudur is oriented to the sides of the world, has a staircase and entrance to the upper tiers. At the same time, the central “gate” to the Buddhist temple is located on the eastern side. They are open only for monks. The staircases pass under arched gates decorated with 32 sculptures of lions. At the top of each arch is the head of Kali, flanked by figures of makaras, mythical sea monsters.
.Climbing the tiers of Borobudur from the central gate, you can admire the reliefs that tell the story of the development of Buddhism. Remarkable is the impeccable adherence to the storyline, which stretches for more than 5 kilometers. It is conventionally divided into three levels – Kamadhatu, Rupadhatu and Arapadhatu.
.The first level, represented by the base of the temple, symbolizes the world of passions. The 160 panels depicted vicious temptations and the karmic punishment for them. The second, the so-called sphere of forms, signifying the struggle against desires, is located on five square platforms. Here are narrated several incarnations of the Buddha, in which the spiritual teacher reveals the principles of Buddhism in various ways and tells of wanderings in pursuit of wisdom.
The third level, occupying the round tiers of Borobudur, signifies the formless sphere and the anticipation of nirvana. There are no bas-reliefs here, but it is still not without symbolic meaning. The Buddha statues hidden in small stupas are the embodiment of absolute serenity and detachment from the mundane world. The central “bell” completely hides the sculpture.
.At first glance, the statues of the spiritual teacher are identical. However, if you look closely at them, you can notice the difference between the mudras – ritual arrangements of the hands. There are five groups of mudras known in Buddhism, each of which has a symbolic meaning:
- north – fearlessness, courage;
- south – benevolence, giving alms to the needy;
- west – meditation, concentration; .
- east – asking the Earth to grant wisdom;
- zenith – virtue, prudence, turning the wheel of dharma (dharmachakra).
The Mudras are oriented to the five cardinal points of the compass, according to one branch of the religion, Mahayana. Four balustrades are adorned with sculptures of Buddha holding the first four mudras. The fifth balustrade and the stupa on the upper platform are statues with the last mudra.
Excavations at Borobudur have revealed: the temple complex was formerly painted in black, green, red, blue and gold pigments applied over snow-white plaster. Over the centuries, heavy tropical rains have washed away the paint, turning the temple into a dark gray pile of volcanic stone. Despite its unassuming appearance, Borobudur is still considered a major religious building of Indonesian culture.
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The temple complex is equipped with a drainage system with numerous storm drains. In each corner of the temple is installed a special “neck” decorated with a small carved sculpture of a gargoyle, giant or makara.
Borobudur Museums
A few hundred meters north of the temple is the Karmavibhangga Museum. It houses photographs of Borobudur bas-reliefs, stone fragments and archaeological artifacts found in the vicinity of the temple complex. In addition, the museum’s exhibition includes documentation that tells not only about the architecture and structure of Borobudur, but also about the temple’s official restoration project.
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There is also a second museum, Samudra Raksa, located in the western part of Karmavibhangga. Its exhibits tell tourists about the ancient maritime trade between Indonesia, Madagascar and East Africa (the so-called Cinnamon Trade Route). Visits to both museums are included in the ticket price..Practical information
The area around the temple complex is enclosed by a fence that forms the archaeological temple of Borobudur. You can enter here only after purchasing a ticket (22 EUR), which entitles you to a one-time visit. A walk around the territory of the complex as a part of a tour will cost less: 6-8 EUR. For the opportunity to see Borobudur at sunrise or sunset you will have to pay more: about 30 EUR.
.The temple is open to the public from 6:00 to 17:00, but Manohara Hotel kindly provides an unofficial tour to visit Borobudur before or after closing time. It can be used even if you are staying at another hotel. All that is required is to arrive at the Manohara Hotel entrance as early as possible (preferably around 4:00-4:30) and purchase your ticket when the ticket office opens. After meeting the sunrise, you need to redeem your standard ticket and, if you wish, book a sunset tour.
.If you dream of saving money on your trip, it is worth paying attention to the possibility of visiting not only Borobudur, but also Prambanan (of course, on one ticket). In this case you will pay 9-10 EUR less. The ticket is valid for two days (including the day of its purchase), but grants the right to enter the territory of both temples only once. For unknown reasons the sale of these tickets is not advertised, so you will have to check with the cashier for the availability of the Ticket Package Borobudur – Prambanan.
.How to get to Borobudur
There are a number of ways to reach the temple complex:
- by minibus, using the services of Yogyakarta travel agencies. The trip will cost 5 EUR. Most often minibuses stop at batik factories to encourage tourists to buy souvenirs, so the journey to the temple may take longer than planned;
- by bus. Transportation leaves from the Jombor stop. You need to take the bus going to Magelang. Usually tourists are dropped off at Muntilan Bus Terminal in the village of Muntilan, but it is better to clarify the stop in advance. The fare is 2 EUR. After getting off the bus, immediately take a “hitchhike” to Borobudur. The stop is located a hundred meters from the main entrance to the archaeological park;
- by rented transportation. Rental costs start at 20 EUR per day. A car with a driver will cost more: 30 EUR. This option will require the least amount of time; it is also the most comfortable.
Visiting Borobudur is also possible as part of excursions. Their starting point is the island of Bali or the famous tourist cities of Java.