Borobudur Temple |
Borobudur Temple is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.'
The monument is both a shrine to
the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for
pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path
circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the
three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of
desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of
formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims
through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief
panels on the wall and the balustrades.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was
abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Buddhist and Hindu
kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide
knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford
Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location
by native Indonesians.
Borobudur
has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest
restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the
Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was
listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for
pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the
monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist
attraction.