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The Borobudur
Temple is considered
as one of the
seven wonders
of the world.
This temple is
located at Borobudur
District, South
of Magelang, Central
Java.
The
expression of
experts who had
been studying
Borobudur Temple
varied someway.
Bernet Kempers'
expression was:
“Borobudur is
Borobudur”, meaning
that Borobudur
Temple is very
unique in her
own way. Nieuwenkamp
(an artist) imaginated
Borobudur as “a
big lotus flower
bud ready to bloom”
which was “floating”
on a lake. Nieuwenkamp’s
imagination was
supported by N.
Rangkuti (1987)
that from the
air, the Borobudur
Temple looks floating.
From the geological
studies, experts
were able to prove
that Borobudur
area was one time
a big lake. Most
of the villages
around Borobudur
Temple were at
the same altitude,
235 meters above
the sea-level.
The same altitude
included the Pawon
and Mendut temples.
Thus the area
under 235 meter
altitude was below
the lake water
level.
Based
on the inscription
dated 842 AD,
Casparis suggested
that Borobudur
was one time a
place for praying.
The inscription
stated a phrase
such as: “Kawulan
i Bhumi Sambhara”.
Kawulan means
the origin of
holiness, “bhumi
sambhara” is a
name of a place
in Borobudur.
Paul Mus stated
that Borobudur
Temple had the
structure of stupa
(conical form)
with double expression.
As a whole, the
Borobudur Temple
was an open-flat
stupa, but on
the other hand,
the temple expressed
the idea of a
“closed world”.
The latter expression
could be felt
when one is already
inside the temple.
Whenever person
is inside the
temple, his or
her view will
be limited to
high walls full
on relieves, the
verandah is always
squared in such
a way that one
could not see
other parts of
the temple, even
in a same floor.
The same feeling
happened if one
stood on arupadhatu
round platform,
he or she will
have a wider view
only on that level,
but are not able
to see the lower
level nor the
upper level like
the one on rupadhatu
and kamandhatu.
It could be said
that Borobudur
is a symbol of
cosmic mountain
covered by the
sky roof, a specific
world that could
be reached through
isolated alleys
as stages. The
closed structural
design of the
temple expressed
the concept of
a closed world,
not just a technical
reasons as had
been suggested
by other experts
( Daud AT, 1987)
Borobudur
was built by Sanmaratungga
in the 8th century,
and belongs to
Buddha Mahayana.
Borobudur was
revealed by Sir
Thomas Stanford
Raffles in 1814.
The temple was
found in ruined
condition and
was buried.
The
overall height
was 42 meters,
but was only 34.5
meters after restoration,
and had the dimension
of 123 x 123 meters
(15,129 square
meters). There
were 10 floors.
The first floor
up to the sixth
floor was square
form, the seventh
to the tenth floor
were round form.
Borobudur
is facing to the
East with a total
of 1460 panels
(2 meters wide
each). Total size
of the temple
walls was 2500
square meters,
full of relief.
The total number
of panels with
relief was 1212.
According to investigations,
the total number
of Buddha statue
was 504 including
the intact and
damaged statues.
The temple undergone
restoration from
1905 to 1910,
and the last restoration
was done in 1973
to 1983.
1.
Structural Design
of Borobudur Temple
Ever
since the first
excavation, most
experts speculated
on the exact shape
of the temple.
Hoenig, in his
book “Das form
problem des Borobudur”
speculate that
the original form
of Borobudur Temple
had four gates
and nine floors.
The form of Borobudur
Temple is similar
to temples found
in Cambodia. According
to Parmenteir,
the huge single
stupa on top of
the temple made
the smaller stupas
in the lower part
looked drowned.
Stutterheim who
had been studying
stupas in India
and other parts
of Asia concluded
that the stupa
structure was
an Indian origin.
The original purpose
of stupa building
was as storage
of Buddha Gautama
and other holy
priests cremation
ash.
According
to Stutterheim,
the overall form
of Borobudur Temple
is a combination
of zigurat (middle
Asian Pyramid)
and Indian stupa.
Stutterheim opinion
was supported
by the existence
of this type of
form in Ancient
Javanese literature.
The
relief of Borobudur
temple started
from the base
of the temple
up to the fourth
platform. The
relieves at the
base contained
the story of Karmawibhangga.
Under the main
panel and above
the Karmawibhangga
relief, a wide-sized
relief was inscripted
at the wall. From
this point along
the alley, the
relief did not
show story in
the sequence,
but as a repeating
part of the story
with the same
motives which
expressed the
world of spiritual
beings such as
half demonic body
(Gandharwa, giants
or Yataka, dragon,
Sidha or angels
and their ladies
friends, Apsara
and Nagi, all
of them are heavenly
beings who are
tender and beautiful.
Division
of panels are:
the first panel
expressed a heavenly
being in sitting
position, on both
side of this panel
are small panel
with a small standing
statue. This figures
are repeated 26
times for each
side of the wall.
Between the panels
is carved three
bodies, a male
flanked by two
women.
2.
Relieves at the
Walls of the Alley.
There
was a long series
of main relieves
at the first alley,
either at the
main wall or at
the inner side
of Kutamara wall.
Relieves at the
Kutamara wall
depicted Jataka's
and Awadana's,
a story of Buddha's
life which expressed
as Bodhisatwa,
due to his good
deeds in the past.
Sometimes, Buddha
is expressed in
the form of animals
such as rabbit,
monkeys etc. As
it was told in
animated stories,
the story was
adopted from Sanskrit
book, Jatakamala.
Only one third
of the relieves
were known, the
rest was still
unclear.
The
lower relieves
of the main wall
contained the
same story. The
upper relieves
also had the same
story as the lower
one. The story
contained the
life of Buddha
consisting of
120 frames until
he began teaching
Buddha religion.
The first frame
began from the
South of stairway
of the curved
gate at the East,
and follow the
path of the sun
(the temple on
the right side).
The life story
of Buddha was
adopted from Lalitawistara
book.
At
the second alley,
Jataka and Awadana
story were continued
on the inner side
of Utamara, and
on the main wall,
story was began
with stories adopted
from Gandhawyuha.
This story was
so long that it
occupied the main
wall and inner
side wall of Utamara
at the third and
fourth alley.
The story showed
the adventure
of a Sudhana who
met Bodhisatwa
Maytreya (the
future Buddha)
to have religious
lesson from the
Buddha. Later
on, the Sudhana
met with Bodhisatwa
Mandjusri, and
finally he met
with Dyani Bodhisatwa
Samanta Badra,
who gave the highest
wisdom. Most of
those stories
expressed the
use of spiritual
strength and unusual
happenings.
There
were many beautiful
ornaments inscripted
at the wall of
the fourth alley,
because the fifth
alley did not
contained any
ornaments. The
fifth alley is
a transitional
alley to the next
platform, the
round platform.
The next round
platforms also
did not contained
any ornaments
at all (Kaylan,1959).
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