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

Many theories that 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 are located terraces. In addition there are some other folk etymology. Suppose that the word comes from the word Borobudur "the Buddha" is due to a shift in the sound of the Borobudur. Another explanation is that the name comes from two words "coal" and "beduhur". The word bara said to have originated from the word monastery, while there is also another explanation where the coal comes from Sanskrit which means temple or monastery and beduhur meaning is "high", or to remind the Balinese language means "above". So the point is a monastery or a dormitory located on high ground.


JG de Casparis historian in his dissertation to earn his doctorate in 1950 argued that Borobudur is a place of worship. Based on the inscriptions and Kahulunan Karangtengah, Casparis estimate the founder of the Borobudur was named king of Mataram dynasty dynasty Samaratungga, who did the construction of around 824 AD The giant new buildings can be completed at the time of her daughter, Queen Pramudawardhani. Borobudur estimated construction takes half a century. In Karangtengah inscription also mentioned about the bestowal of land sima (tax-free land) by Cri Kahulunan (Pramudawardhani) to maintain Kamulan called Bhūmisambhāra. Kamulan term itself comes from the word meaning place of first origin, a shrine to honor ancestors, probably the ancestor of the dynasty Sailendra. Casparis estimates that Bhumi Sambhāra Bhudhāra in Sanskrit which means "Mount of the set of ten levels boddhisattwa virtue", was the original name of Borobudur.
The structure of Borobudur

Borobudur Temple punden shaped staircase, which consists of six levels of a square, three-level circular and a main stupa as a peak. Also scattered at all levels-the levels some of the stupa.
Borobudur ten stories clearly illustrate the philosophical school of Mahayana. like a book, Borobudur described the ten Bodhisattva levels that must be traversed to reach the perfection of the Buddha.

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

Four floors with walls berelief on it by the experts called 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 found 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 no tangible form or not). Circular floor plan. This level represents the nature of, where people are free from all desires and bond forms and shapes, but have not reached nirvana. Buddha statues are placed in the stupa is covered with holes as in the cage. From outside the statues were still dim.

The highest level that describes the lack of being represented in the form of the largest and highest stupa. Stupa depicted plain without holes. In the largest stupa Buddha statue ever found an imperfect or unfinished also called Buddha, who disalahsangkakan as Adibuddha statue, but through further research there has never been a statue at the main stupa, which is not finished sculpture was a mistake pemahatnya in ancient times. according to the belief that the statue was wrong in the manufacturing process should not be tampered with. Archaeological excavations carried out in the courtyard of the temple was found a lot of statues like this.

In the past, several statues of Buddha along with 30 stones with reliefs, two statues of lions, some rocks shaped stage, 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 Dutch Government as it.

Borobudur has no worship spaces like other temples. That there are long hallways which is a narrow road. The hallways surrounding the walled temple level by level. In the halls of the Buddhist is expected to perform the ceremony walk around the temple to the right. Shape of the building without room and terraced structure is thought to be an outgrowth of the form punden staircase, which is a form of architecture from prehistoric native Indonesia .

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. Reliefs are read according to the clockwise or called mapradaksina in Old Javanese language derived from Sanskrit meaning is daksina the east. These reliefs variety of story content, among other reliefs of Jataka stories.

Reading of the stories are always the starting relief, and ends on the east side of the gate at every level, starting on the left and right ends of the gate. So obviously that the east is the ladder up the real (main) and to the top of the temple, it means that the temple facing the east while the other sides of similar right.

In sequence, the story of the temple reliefs mean briefly as follows:

In accordance with the symbolic meaning of the foot of the temple, reliefs which adorn the walls of a hidden shelf that illustrate the law of karma. Rows of relief is not a story of the series (serial), but in every frame illustrates a story that has a causal correlation. Relief will not only give an idea of ​​human moral turpitude accompanied by penalties that would obtain, but also human and reward good deeds. Overall, the portrayal of human life within the circle of birth - life - death (samsara) which is never ending, and by Buddhism chain is exactly what will be ended to to perfection.

History is a depiction of the Buddha in a row of reliefs (but not a complete history) that starts from the Buddha's descent 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 exceeded the relief of 27 frames starting from the east side of the stairs. To-27 frames are busy describing, both in heaven and in the world, in preparation to welcome the presence of the last incarnation of the Bodhisattva as the Buddha. The reliefs depict the birth of the Buddha in this arcapada as Prince Siddhartha, son of the King and Queen Maya Suddhodana of Kapilavastu Affairs. Relief amounted to 120 frames, which ended with the first sermon, which is symbolically expressed as the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, the Buddha's teaching is called dharma also means "law", while the dharma is represented as a wheel.

Jataka stories of Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha before. Protrusion of contents is the subject of good works, which distinguishes the Bodhisattvas of any other creature. Indeed, the collection service / good deed is a preparatory stage in the level of effort towards the Buddhahood.

While Awadana, basically almost the same as the Jataka but the culprit is not the Bodhisattvas, but other people and the stories collected in the book Diwyawadana which means noble godlike deeds, and the book Awadana Awadanasataka or a hundred stories. In the reliefs of Borobudur temple and awadana Jataka, treated equally, meaning that they occur in the same row without distinction. The set of the best known of the life of the Bodhisattva is Jatakamala or strands of Jataka stories, Aryasura and poet who lived in the 4th century AD.

Is a row of reliefs adorn 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. Description of the frame 460 based on Mahayana Buddhist scripture entitled Gandawyuha, and for the lid on the story of another Bhadracari.