History of Borobudur Temple and the Origin of Its Construction
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| Borobudur Temple |
The splendor of the Borobudur Temple building cannot be separated from the long history of the development of Buddhism in Indonesia. The name Borobudur Temple itself is very well known to foreign countries and is known as the largest Buddhist monument in the world.
Located in Magelang, Central Java, Borobudur Temple underwent a long period of restoration to restore its majesty. Borobudur Temple is one of the most valuable treasures in Indonesia and the world. The following is a review of the history of Borobudur Temple and its unique facts:
1. Brief history of Borobudur Temple
According to historical records, the initial construction of Borobudur Temple occurred in the 8th and 9th centuries around 800 AD during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty.
The construction of Borobudur is predicted to take tens to hundreds of years to be completely completed during the reign of King Samaratungga in 825 AD.
Although it was completed, there are no historical records that explain who the person who built the Borobudur temple was. The reason is, at that time Hinduism and Buddhism developed simultaneously on the island of Java.
The Syailendra dynasty was recorded as a follower of Mahayana Buddhism while around Borobudur there were also Shiva Hindu followers.
A number of archaeologists suspect that the construction of Borobudur Temple underwent four renovations. Initially the construction began by leveling the plains around the temple and compacting the soil with stones to form a pyramid structure.
The structure was then changed due to the addition of square and circular steps. Then, Borobudur underwent a final change to the circular steps and the size of the foundation was widened.
The splendor of Borobudur Temple was lost for centuries because it was buried under a layer of soil and volcanic ash which was then overgrown with trees and shrubs to resemble a hill.
It is not known exactly why Borobudur was abandoned by its inhabitants at that time. Historical theory leads to the eruption of Mount Merapi and the conversion of the population's beliefs from Buddhism to Islam.
The return of the fame of Borobudur Temple occurred during the time of Thomas Stamford Raffles while serving as Governor General on the island of Java in 1811 AD. The rediscovery occurred when Raffles heard that there was a large building hidden deep in the forest near the village of Bumisegoro.
Raffles then sent a Dutch engineer named Christian Cornelius to examine it.
The news of the rediscovery of Borobudur was also a disaster for the destruction in many places. Until the late 1960s the Indonesian government asked UNESCO for help to overcome the problems at Borobudur Temple.
In the history of Borobudur Temple, its renovation took a long time and a large amount of money until it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991.
2. The shape of the Borobudur Temple
As the largest Buddhist temple in the world as well as the largest Buddhist monument in the world, Borobudur Temple has a structure such as a punden terrace which is getting smaller and smaller with four stairs in each cardinal direction.
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| Borobudur Temple |
Borobudur temple has a length of 121.66 meters with a width of 121.38 meters and a height of 35.40 meters. According to Buddhist philosophy, the level structure of Borobudur Temple is an imitation of the universe for the wheel of life. There are three levels in the structure of the Borobudur Yakini Temple:
Kamadhatu: The lower part of the temple which symbolizes the underworld, describes human behavior that is still bound by worldly desires.
Rupadhatu: The middle part of the temple which symbolizes the intermediate nature, describes the behavior of humans who have started to leave worldly desires, but are still bound by the real world.
Arupadhatu: The upper part of the temple which symbolizes the upper realm, depicts the intangible element and as a sign of the level that has left worldly desires.
The stones in Borobudur Temple are predicted to come from rivers around Borobudur with a total volume of about 55,000 cubic meters, equivalent to 2 million pieces of stone.
3. Functions of Borobudur Temple
Apart from being a tourist spot, Borobudur Temple is now functioning as a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists worldwide to guide humanity from worldly desires to enlightenment and wisdom according to Buddhist teachings.
On the way, pilgrims walk through a series of hallways and stairs, witnessing 1,460 reliefs engraved on the stone walls of the temple.
4. Unique Facts about Borobudur Temple
In addition to the history and moments of the Vesak Day that have attracted foreign attention, Borobudur Temple has a number of unique facts, including:
- There are 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues, making Borobudur the owner of the longest and most extensive Buddha reliefs in the world.
- Statue theft is rampant. Real Buddha head statues are often stolen and then sold in antiques, collectors and illegal markets. Of the 504 Buddha statues, many were found in a headless condition.
- Borobudur Temple was bombed. Two years after the 2nd restoration, January 21, 1985, 13 bombs were placed by the perpetrators in a number of small stupas. 9 of the 13 bombs exploded and destroyed hundreds of stone blocks of the stupa. The bombing is related to radical understanding.
- The Dutch East Indies government handed over the precious statues to Thailand and England. The Dutch East Indies government at that time gave free temple artifacts in large quantities as gifts for the arrival of the Thai King Chulalongkorn II.
- The Dutch East Indies government had established a coffee shop at the top of the stupa when it was first discovered
Thus the history of Borobudur Temple and unique facts that you can know. Hopefully the above explanation can be useful for you.