Inlaid Relief And Stupa, Here Are 10 Interesting Facts About Borobudur Temple
JAKARTA – Borobudur Temple sits in Magelang Regency, Central Java. In 1991, Borobudur Temple was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. It was built during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty which is recorded in the history books of the archipelago.
1. The origin of the name BorobudurSir Thomas Stamford Rafles once mentioned this very large temple in the book History of the Island of Java. It is not known where the name came from, it is only written as an archaeological site called Borobudur.
The only reference is to Negarakertagama, which was written by Mpu Prapanca. This building is inscribed as a Buddhist sacred architecture.
Archaeologists think the name of this temple comes from the word Budur which comes from the word budhara which means 'mountain'. While Boro from the word Bore, the village where this temple stands.
2. The size of the temple is largeBorobudur Temple can be called a magnificent place of worship for Buddhists. Its size is 123 x 123 meters so it has an area of 15,129 square meters. Its current height reaches 35 meters where the original height was 42 meters.
There are not many references to someone who became the architecture of Borobudur Temple, Gunadharma. Started to be built in 770 AD and only completed around 825 AD, Gunadharma's name is not found in inscriptions or other historical evidence. He is known through legends and folklore around the Menoreh hills.
4. Made of volcanic rockBorobudur Temple is surrounded by mountains. Located in the Menoreh hill, southwest of Mount Merapi and Mount Merbabu. Built from volcanic rock cut into blocks. Arranged vertically or horizontally without adhesive. This is a puzzle until now, how can the pile of blocks be solid without adhesive.
5. Relief patterns, characters, and stupasIf you count the numbers, Borobudur Temple has 2,672 reliefs consisting of 1212 decorative reliefs and 1460 story reliefs. The characters are carved on the inscription with the year of its founding.
6. The reliefs of each level describe the stages of lifeIf seen from afar, Borobudur Temple looks magnificent. In fact, the temple, which is used for worship every Vesak, revives the surrounding tourist area. Such as the Chicken Church, Punthuk Setumbu, and the peak of Menoreh Hill.
When you go around the temple, you can see the reliefs of the story of the stages of life. From birth to reaching nirvana.
The reliefs of this temple also describe the activities of the people at that time. Starting from the natural products, flora, animals, trading activities that have been researched by the Central Java Province Cultural Conservation Preservation Center.
7. Relief contains aesthetic meaningThe reliefs of Borobudur Temple apply Indian art. Inlaid body postures that have the value of beauty, in the form of noble humans such as ascetics, kings, noble women, angels, to holy creatures like gods.
According to WOJ Nieuwenkamp, an artist and Hindu-Buddhist architecture, Borobudur Temple is a symbol of a lotus flower that floats on the surface of an ancient lake. Although this hypothesis is still under debate, it is suspected that the land where this beautiful temple is located is an ancient lake.
9. The biggest Buddhist temple in the worldBecause of its large size, Guinness World Records notes that Borobudur Temple is the largest temple in the world.
10. Facing the sunriseTo enjoy the reliefs, visitors can go up from the main stairs facing east. The form of the building is the traditional vernacular of the archipelago. Reading the reliefs in a clockwise direction or called mapradaksina which comes from the Sanskrit daksina means 'east'.
Have you seen the complete relief of Bodobudur Temple from sunrise to left to right and up each level?