Borobudur Temple - Magelang, Central Java Indonesia

Bookmark and Share
Borobudur is the name of a Buddhist temple located at Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java. The location of the temple is approximately 100 km southwest of Hyderabad and 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta. This temple was founded by the followers of Mahayana Buddhism around the year 800  during the reign of the dynasty dynasty.
Many theories that attempt to explain the name of this temple. One of them states that the name is probably derived from the word Sambharabhudhara, which means "mountain" (bhudara) where the slopes are located terraces. In addition there are some other folk etymology.
Suppose that the word comes from the greeting Borobudur "the Buddha" who because of a shift in sound to Borobudur. Another explanation is that the name comes from two words "coal" and "beduhur".


The word bara said to have originated from the word monastery, while there are also other explanations where the coal comes from Sanskrit which means temple or monastery complex and beduhur meaning is "high", or to remind the Balinese language means "above". So the point is a monastery or hostel located on high ground.

Historian J.G. de Casparis in his dissertation for a doctorate in 1950 argued that Borobudur is a place of worship. Based on the inscriptions Karangtengah and Kahulunan, Casparis estimate the founder of the Borobudur is the king of Mataram dynasty dynasty named Samaratungga, who do construction around the year 824 AD The giant new building could be completed at the time of her daughter, Queen Pramudawardhani. Borobudur Development estimated take half a century. In Karangtengah inscriptions also mentioned about the bestowal of land sima (tax-free land) by Cri Kahulunan (Pramudawardhani) to maintain kamulan called Bhūmisambhāra. Kamulan term itself comes from the word meaning place of first origin, the ancestral shrine to glorify, probably ancestors of the dynasty Sailendra. Casparis estimates that Bhumi Sambhāra Bhudhāra in Sanskrit language meaning "Mount of the set of ten levels boddhisattwa virtue", was the original name of Borobudur.
Borobudur Structure

Borobudur Temple punden shaped terraces, which consists of six levels of a square, three levels of a circular and a main stupa as a peak. Also scattered in all levels-the levels some of the stupa.

Borobudur which clearly illustrates the ten-story school of Mahayana philosophy. like a book, Borobudur described ten levels of Bodhisattva who must pass to reach the perfection of the Buddha.

Kamadhatu symbolizes the foot of Borobudur, the world is still dominated by kama or "low desire". This section is mostly covered by a pile of stone that allegedly made to strengthen the construction of the temple. At the closed part of this additional structure there are 120 panels Kammawibhangga story. A small additional structure that is set aside so people can still see the relief in this section.

Four floors with wall berelief on it by the experts called Rupadhatu. The floor is rectangular. Rupadhatu is a world that was able to break free from lust, but is still bound by the form and shape. This level represents the nature of that is, between the bottom and the nature of nature. In part this Rupadhatu Buddha statues found in the recesses of the wall above the ballustrade or hallway.

Starting the fifth to the seventh floor walls are not berelief. This level is called Arupadhatu (which means no tangible form or not). Circular floor plan. This level represents the nature of, where people are free from all desires and bond forms and shapes, but have not reached nirvana. Buddha statues are placed in the stupa is covered with holes as in captivity. From outside the statues were still vaguely visible.

The highest level that describes the lack of form is represented in the form of the stupa of the largest and highest. Stupa described plain without the holes. In the largest stupa is a Buddhist statue ever found imperfect or unfinished also called Buddha, which disalahsangkakan as sculpture Adibuddha, but through further research there never was a statue at the main stupa, which was not completed sculpture was a mistake pemahatnya in ancient times. according to the belief that one statue in the manufacturing process is not undermined. Archaeological excavations carried out in the courtyard of this temple found many statues like this.

In the past, several Buddha statues along with 30 stones with reliefs, two stone lions, some kala-shaped stone, stairs and gates are sent to the King of Thailand, Chulalongkorn who visited the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1896 as a gift from the Dutch when it.

Borobudur has no worship spaces like other temples. That there are long hallways which is a narrow road. The hallways surrounding the walled temple level by level. In the halls of this is expected to conduct Buddhist ceremonies walk around the temple to the right. Shape of the building without room and terraced structure is believed to be the development of punden form terraces, which is a form of original architecture from prehistoric Indonesia.

Borobudur structure does not use cement at all, but the interlock system is like Lego blocks that can be attached without glue.


At every level carved reliefs on temple walls. These reliefs read according to the clockwise or called mapradaksina in Old Javanese language derived from Sanskrit meaning is daksina east. These reliefs variety of story content, among other reliefs Jataka stories.

Reading of the stories are always the starting relief, and ends on the east side of the gate at every level, starting on the left and right ends at the gate. So obviously that the east is the ladder up the real (main) and toward the top of the temple, it means that the temple facing the east while the other sides of similar right.

In sequence, the story is short on meaningful temple reliefs as follows:

In accordance with the symbolic meaning on the foot of the temple, reliefs which adorn the walls of a hidden shelf that illustrate the law of karma. Rows of relief is not a story series (series), but in every frame illustrates a story that has a causal correlation. Relief will not only give a picture of human moral turpitude accompanied by a penalty that would obtain, but also human and reward good behavior. Overall, the portrayal of human life in the circle of birth - life - death (samsara) that never ends, and by Buddhism tersebutlah chain will be ended to to perfection.

It is a portrayal of history of the Buddha in a row of reliefs (but not a complete history) that began the decline of the Buddha from heaven Tusita, and ends with the first sermon in the Deer Park near the city of Banaras. Relief is a row of stairs on the south side, after a row of reliefs exceed a total of 27 frames starting from the east side of the stairs. To-27 frames are described activity, both in heaven and on earth, in preparation to welcome the presence of the last incarnation of the Bodhisattva as the candidate of the Buddha. The reliefs depict the birth of the Buddha in this arcapada as Prince Siddhartha, son of King and Queen Maya of Suddhodana Kapilavastu Affairs. Relief is 120 frames, which ended with the first discourse, which is symbolically expressed as a Screening Wheel of Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha is called dharma which also means "law", whereas dharma is represented as a wheel.

Jataka is the story of the Buddha before he is born as Prince Siddhartha. Protrusion of the contents is the subject of good works, which differentiates the Bodhisattva of any other creature. Indeed, the collection service / good deeds is a stage of preparation in an attempt to level the Buddhahood.

While Awadana, basically almost the same but the culprit is not Jataka the Bodhisattva, but others and the stories collected in the book which means noble deeds Diwyawadana godlike, and the book Awadana Awadanasataka or a hundred stories. In the reliefs of Borobudur temple and awadana Jataka, treated equally, meaning that they are in the same row without a distinguishable. The set of the most famous of the life of the Bodhisattva is Jatakamala or string of Jataka stories, Aryasura poet's work and who live in the 4th century AD.

Is a row of reliefs adorn the walls of the hall to-2, is the story of a wandering Sudhana tirelessly in his efforts to find the Highest Knowledge of Truth by Sudhana. Depiction in the 460 frame is based on Mahayana Buddhist scripture entitled Gandawyuha, and for the lid on the story any other book that is Bhadracari.

{ 1 komentar... Views All / Post Comment! }

Anonymous said...

I am not ѕurе whеre you are getting your info, but good tоpіc.

Ι neеds to spend some time learning much more οr unԁeгѕtanding mοгe.

Тhаnks for ωonderful info I waѕ looking for this infο
for my mission.

Looκ at my blog: weight loss

Post a Comment

Popular Posts Today