historical place

 

HISTORICAL PLACES

 Candi Borobudur

 

Borobudur Temple

The Borobodur Temple complex is one of the greatest monuments in the world. It is of uncertain age, but thought to have been built between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D. For about a century and a half it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java, then it was lost until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. For each direction there are ninety-two Dhyani Buddha statues and 1,460 relief scenes.

Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Shailendra Dhinasty, the temple design follows Javannese Buddhist Architecture, which blends the Indonesian indigenous cult of ancensor worship and the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana. The temple demonstrates the influences of Gupta art that reflects India's influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian.The monument is a shiren to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrim The pilgrim journey begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument, ascending to the top through three levels symbolic of Buddist Cosmology: Kamadhatu(the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). The monument guides pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades. Borobudur has one of the largest and most complete ensembles of Buddhist reliefs in the world.