Borobudur is a famous Buddhist temple in Central Java and
it is one of the World Wonder Heritages because of its distinctive and unique
construction. The temple was built during the 9th century, and it is
still occupied as Buddhist place of worship and the attendants are both from
Indonesia and overseas. The construction was under the power of Old Mataram’s
King named Samaratungga from Wangsa
Syailendra, and it took a hundred year to finish. Borobudur itself means a
monastery built in a high place, and the word is derived from the term Budhara which means a mountain with many
terraces.
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| Pictures Theindonesianglobe.blogspot.com |
The location of
Borobudur Temple is in Magelang, Central Java. It is not very far from
Yogyakarta, but to reach the place you better rent a car as going there by taxi
can be very pricey. If you’re not sure about the location, you can also hire a
driver along with the car. The admission price of the temple is thirty thousand
rupiahs (about 3.5 dollars) for local tourist and a hundred and thirty thousand
rupiahs (about 13.5 dollars) for foreigners.
Borobudur
Temple was designed by Gunadharma upon a request of King Samaratungga. Although
at the time the technology was not advanced yet, Gunadharma could use interlock
system in the construction. The templewas shaped like punden berundak and in the past the height was 42metres. However,
after the renovation the height is only 34.5metres. It is a ten-story building
divided into three parts; the lower six stories are in square shape, the three
stories above are in circle shape, and the top story is in the shape of Buddha
stupa heading to the west.
Because it is a Buddhist temple, the construction
was based on Buddhist belief called Mandala
and the division mentioned is according to it. Mandala is about the
universe cosmology and according to it the world is divided into three levels:
the world of lust or Kamadhatu, the world with shape or Rupadhatu, and the world
without shape or Arupadhatu. Because of this Buddhist teaching, the temple is
highly philosophical.
On
the body of the temple, you will see reliefs that illustrate the story of
Ramayana. However, if you want to see the story in order, you have to go around
the temple clockwise. There is also a relief that illustrate the life of people
at the time of the temple construction. The amount of the reliefs are said to
be 2672 panel and if we stretch them out, the length is 6kilometres.
The
material to make Borobudur Temple is andesite stone and the amount of the stone
used are fifty-five thousand meter cubic. The construction was without cement
yet the building is sturdy because the use of interlock technique as mentioned.
The drainage system of the temple is really good because of it has a hundred
water sprays that resemble the head of Kala giant or Makara which are put on
every side of the building.
Vesak
is an annual ceremony and Borobudur Temple is always full with thousand of
Buddhist people during the time. The ceremony is held every full moon in the
month of May or Purnama Sidhi. The
ceremony is to celebrate three crucial events in Buddhism, they are: the born
of Siddhartha Gautama, the revelation received by him in Bodhgaya which then
turned him into Buddha, and the death of him in Kusinara.
Before
the ceremony is held, the preparation is made few days ahead. The most crucial
one is the holy water withdrawal in Jumprit, Temanggung. After that, the water
is poured into ten bottles and seventy water jugs and then kept in Mendut
Temple near Borobudur. It is done because the Buddhists believe that water has
a function to flow goodness to the world. The day after, Vesak torch is
lightened and the fire is taken from Mrapen eternal flame. For them, fire
symbolizes the light. There is also one other Vesak ritual called pindatta.
It’s the time when Buddhist monks obtain sacrificed foods from Buddhist people
and put them into bowls. This ritual is done to symbolize the monks’ way of
living that is to respect all gifts and to be humble in life.
On
the Vesak day, the monks and Buddhists gather in Mendut Temple to then start
walking to Borobudur Temple. This takes up to three hours and all the
ceremonial attributes like holy water, torch, and many more are also brought.
In the temple, the giant statue of Buddha is set on the center and candles,
flowers, and incense are put in front of it. The atmosphere during the ceremony
is very sacred and devoted. Although the ceremony is for Buddhist people, many
tourists are also excited with it as the scenery of Borobudur Temple is very
pretty with many candles in it.
Besides
sightseeing, another thing that you can do in Borobudur Temple is riding an
elephant. With it, you can see the beautiful scenery of the villages near the
temple. Moreover, you will also experience a challenging journey as it takes
courage to ride an elephant. However, you don’t have to worry that the elephant
will get out of hand as the tamer will be near us to ensure our safety.
After
you are done enjoying the beauty of the temple and exploring the places nearby,
don’t forget to buy souvenirs to be the everlasting memory that you can take
with you. In there, you will find many souvenirs sellers with very reasonable
prices. The souvenirs range from ten thousand rupiahs (about a dollar) to a
hundred thousand rupiahs (about ten thousand dollars). In
short, you should go visit Borobudur and see the magical scenery yourself.
