Borobudur Temple at magelang, Central java

Borobudur is the name of a Buddhist temple located at Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java. The location of the temple is approximately 100 km southwest of Semarang and 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta. This temple was founded by the Mahayana Buddhists around the year 800 AD the dynasty during the reign of Syailendra. In ethnic Tionghoa, this temple is also called 婆罗 浮屠 (Hanyu Pinyin: po luo fu tu)

Many theories attempt to explain the name of this temple. One of them states that the name is probably derived from the word Sambharabhudhara, which means "mountain" (bhudara) where the slopes situated terraces. In addition there are some other folk etymology. Suppose that the word comes from the greeting Borobudur "the Buddha" who due to sound shifts to Borobudur. Another explanation is that the name derives from two words "coal" and "beduhur". The word supposedly comes from the embers of the monastery, while there is also another explanation where the coal comes from Sanskrit which means temple or monastery complex and beduhur meaning is "high", or to remind the Balinese language means "above". So the point is a monastery or hostel located on high ground.

Historian J.G. de Casparis in his dissertation to obtain his doctorate in 1950 argued that Borobudur is a place of worship. Based on the inscriptions and Kahulunan Karangtengah, Casparis estimate the founder of Borobudur was named king of Mataram dynasty Syailendra Samaratungga, which they will build around the year 824 AD The giant new buildings can be completed at the time of her daughter, Queen Pramudawardhani. Borobudur Development estimated a half-century time-consuming. In the inscription Karangtengah also mentioned about the bestowal of land sima (tax-free land) by the CRI Kahulunan (Pramudawardhani) to maintain Kamūlān called Bhūmisambhāra. Kamūlān term itself comes from the first word that means place of origin, the sacred buildings to glorify the ancestors, the ancestors of the dynasty Sailendra possibility. Bhumi Sambhāra Casparis Bhudhāra estimates that in the Sanskrit language which means "Hill of the set of ten levels boddhisattwa virtue," was the original name of Borobudur.
Borobudur Structure



Borobudur Temple berundak punden shaped, consisting of six levels of a square, three-level circular hoop and a main stupa as a peak. Also scattered in all levels-the levels several stupas.

Borobudur is a ten-story clearly illustrates the Mahayana school of philosophy. like a book, Borobudur described ten levels of Bodhisattva which must pass to reach the perfection of the Buddha.

Kamadhatu symbolizes the foot of Borobudur, the world is still dominated by kama, or "low desire". This part is mostly covered by a pile of stone that allegedly made to strengthen the construction of temples. At the closed part of this additional structure there are 120 panels Kammawibhangga story. A small additional structure was set aside so people can still see the relief in this section.

Four floors with wall berelief on it by experts named Rupadhatu. The floor is rectangular. Rupadhatu is a world that has been able to free himself from passion, but still bound by the appearance and shape. This level represents the nature of that is, between the bottom and the nature of nature. In part this Rupadhatu Buddha statues there in the recesses of the wall above ballustrade or breezeway.

Starting the fifth to the seventh floor walls are not berelief. This level is called Arupadhatu (which means do not form or intangible). Circular floor plan. It represents a level of natural top, where the man was free from all desires and commitments shape and appearance, but have not reached nirvana. Buddha statues are placed in the stupa covered with holes as in a cage. From outside the statues were still dim.

The highest level that describes the lack of existence is symbolized in the form of the Stupa, the largest and highest. Stupa depicted plain without the holes. Within the biggest stupa of Buddha statue was ever found of an imperfect or unfinished also called Buddha, which disalahsangkakan as Adibuddha statue, but through further research, there never was a statue at the main stupa, statues were not completed was a mistake pemahatnya in the past. according to the belief that one statue in the drafting process was not allowed to be destroyed. Archaeological excavations carried out in the yard to find many statues of this temple like this.

In the past, several statues of Buddha along with the 30 stones with reliefs, two lions, some kala-shaped stone, stairs and gates are sent to the King of Thailand, Chulalongkorn who visited the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1896 as a gift from the government when the Dutch East Indies it.

Borobudur has no worship spaces like other temples. That there is a long hallways are narrow street. Walled alleys around the temples level by level. In the halls of this is expected to perform Buddhist ceremonies walk around the temple to the right. Building form, without room and terraced structure was believed to be the development of berundak punden form, which is a form of original architecture from the prehistoric Indonesian.

Borobudur structure does not use cement at all, but the interlock system is like Lego blocks that can be attached without glue.


At every level carved reliefs on temple walls. The reliefs are read according to clockwise or called mapradaksina in Old Javanese language derived from Sanskrit which meaning is daksina east. These reliefs various contents of the story, among other reliefs Jataka stories.

The reading of these reliefs stories always begin and end on the east side of the gate at every level, starting on the left and ends on the right side of the gate. So significantly that climbed the stairs to the east is the real (main) and toward the top of the temple, it means that the temple facing east while the other sides of similar right.

In sequence, the story is short on meaningful temple reliefs as follows:

In accordance with the symbolic meaning of the foot of the temple, reliefs which decorate the walls of a hidden shelf that illustrate the law of karma. Rows of these reliefs is not a story of the series (the series), but in every picture illustrates a story that has a causal correlation. Relief will not only give an illustration of the human moral turpitude accompanied by a penalty that will get, but also human and reward good deeds. Overall, the portrayal of human life in the circle of birth - life - death (samsara) which never ends, and by Buddhism tersebutlah chain which will conclude towards perfection.

Is a depiction of a history of the Buddha in a row of reliefs (but not a complete history) that began the decline of the Buddha from heaven Tusita, and ends with the first sermon in the Deer Park near the city of Banaras. These reliefs lined the stairs on the south side, after a row of reliefs exceed a total of 27 frames starting from the east side of the stairs. The activity illustrates the frame 27, either in heaven or on earth, in preparation to welcome the presence of the last incarnation of Buddha Bodhisattvas as the candidate. The reliefs depict the birth of Buddha on this arcapada as Prince Siddhartha, son of King and Queen Maya of Suddhodana Kapilavastu Affairs. Relief amounting to 120 frames, which ended with the first discourse, which is symbolically expressed as a Screening Wheel of Dharma, the Buddha's teaching on the call of dharma which also means "law", while the dharma is symbolized as a wheel.

Jataka tales are stories of the Buddha before he was born as Prince Siddhartha. Protrusion of the contents is the subject of good works, which distinguishes the Bodhisattvas from any other creature. Indeed, the collection service / good deed is a step towards the level of preparation in an attempt to Buddhahood.

While Awadana, basically similar to the Jataka but the culprit is not the Bodhisattvas, but others and the stories collected in the book which means noble deeds Diwyawadana saintliness, and the book Awadana Awadanasataka or a hundred stories. In the reliefs of Borobudur temple and awadana Jataka, treated equally, meaning that both are contained in the same row without a distinguishable. The set of the most famous of the life of the Bodhisattvas is Jatakamala or string of Jataka stories, Aryasura and poet who lived in the 4th century AD.

Is a row of reliefs decorate the walls of the hall to-2, is the story of a wandering Sudhana tirelessly in his quest for knowledge about the Supreme Truth by Sudhana. Depiction in the frame 460 based on Mahayana Buddhist scripture entitled Gandawyuha, and for the closing credits based on the stories of other books that Bhadracari.