Monday, June 22, 2009

borobudur temple history

Based on wiki, Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument in 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 fourteenth 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, the then 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

15 comments:

  1. salam sobat,,wah2 bikin kangen saya saja INI,,jd ingin mudik ke INDONESIA lg ke BOROBUDUR.

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  2. waw, such a luxurious building

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  3. borobudur is miracle..

    i like it

    th u antique

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  4. MY temple, Borobudur

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  5. duh dah lama gak ke borobudur... jadi pengen jalan2 kesana :)

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  6. a great achievements by the indonesian govt. to have this site listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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  7. keren postingannya..memang kita wajib ingat apa yang kita punya seperti borobudur ini. Good work friend!

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  8. Nice posting kawan,..:)
    Marilah kita kampanyekan kembali Borobudur kepunyaan bangsa kita ini agar kembali lgi masuk ke dalam jajaran 7 Keajaiban Dunia,...

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  9. I like Borobudur i went there once..

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  10. Borobudur is not a general building, it is very luxurious, even if compared with Angkor Vat temple in Cambodia.

    Great article, cheers!

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  11. Borobudur Temple is one of the historical legacy must be guarded...

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