Step into Chandi Borobudur

Welcome to Chandi Borobudur, one of the sacred buildings of Buddhism as a World Cultural Heritage site. The splendor and beauty of Borobudur has its own historical value for Indonesian people. The government has designated Borobudur as a major tourist attraction, a priority tourist destination for local and foreign visitors.

Traveling and visiting Borobudur have enthusiasm aims to know its monument more closely, learn about its history and admire the splendor and beauty of architectural art, as an appreciation and participation in maintaining and protecting the world cultural heritage site of Borobudur.

Your journey to Borobudur will send to an excellent trip with the hospitality of Pamong Carita who will guide you on a special tour to visit and explore history, admiring the beauty of the arts and architecture of Chandi Borobudur more closely.

Step into Borobudur

Borobudur is a world cultural heritage site, the Mahayana Buddhist temple is located in Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The location of the temple is approximately 99 kilometers southwest of Semarang, 86 kilometers west of Surakarta, and 40 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta City.

Step into the history of Borobudur
Decoration of Kala makara carved gate of Borobudur. 
Source: Guiding technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto screenshot arisguide.

No written evidence was found explaining who built Chandi Borobudur and what the purpose of the construction was. It is estimated that it was built around 800 AD.

History of Chandi Borobudur

Based on a comparison between the type of script written on the closed foot of Karmawibhangga and the type of script commonly used in royal inscriptions of the 8th and 9th centuries. This time period corresponds to the period between 760 and 830 AD, the peak period of the glory of the Syailendra dynasty in Central Java, which at that time was influenced by the Sriwijaya Empire.

The construction of Borobudur took more than 75 - 100 years and was actually completed during the reign of King Samaratungga in 825 AD. There is confusion over the facts regarding whether the king who ruled Java was Hindu or Buddhist. The Sailendra dynasty is known to be followers of Mahayana Buddhism, the discovery of the Sojomerto inscription shows that they may have originally been Shiva Hindus. During that time, various Hindu and Buddhist temples were built on the Kedu Plain.

Based on the Canggal Inscription, in 732 AD, the Shiva religious king Sanjaya ordered the construction of the Shiwalingga sacred building which was built in the hills of Mount Wukir, located only 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Borobudur. The Borobudur Buddhist Temple was built at almost the same time as the temples on the Prambanan Plain, however, Borobudur is estimated to have been completed around 825 AD, twenty-five years earlier before construction of the Prambanan Shiva temple began in 850 AD.

The construction of Buddhist temples, including Borobudur, at that time was possible because Sanjaya's heir, Rakai Panangkaran gave permission to Buddhists to build temples to show their respect. Panangkaran bestowed Kalasan village to the sangha (Buddhist community), for the maintenance and financing of Kalasan Temple which was built to glorify Bodhisattwadewi Tara, mentioned in the Kalasan Inscription of 778 AD.

This indication is understood by archaeologists, that in ancient Javanese society, religion was never an issue that could lead to conflict, for example, Hindu kings could support and fund the construction of Buddhist temples, and vice versa. However, it is thought that there was competition between the two royal dynasties at that time - the Syailendra dynasty which adhered to Buddhism and the Sanjaya dynasty which worshiped Shiva - then the Sanjaya dynasty won the battle in 856 in the Ratu Boko hills.

Ambiguity also arises regarding the Lara Jonggrang temple in Prambanan which is believed to have been built by the victorious Rakai Pikatan as an answer to the Sanjaya dynasty to compete with the splendor of Borobudur belonging to the Syailendra dynasty, however many people believe that there is an atmosphere of tolerance and peaceful togetherness between these two dynasties, namely the Sailendra. Its also involved in the construction of the Shiva Temple in Prambanan.

Sanskrit

Source: Guiding technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto screenshot arisguide.

The comparison between the type of script written on the closed foot of Karmawibhangga with the type of script on the 8th and 9th century royal inscriptions.

Borobudur was abandoned

Borobudur was hidden and neglected for centuries buried under layers of soil and volcanic ash which were then overgrown with trees and bushes so that at that time it really resembled a hill. The real reason for its abandonment is still not known for certain since when this sacred building was no longer a pilgrimage center for Buddhists.

Between 928 and 1006, King Mpu Sindok moved the capital of the Medang kingdom to the East Java region after a series of volcanic eruptions; It is not yet known for certain whether this factor was the reason why Borobudur was abandoned, but several sources suspect that it is very likely that Borobudur began to be abandoned during that period.

This sacred building was mentioned vaguely around 1365, by Mpu Prapanca in his text Nagarakretagama which was written during the Majapahit kingdom. He mentioned the existence of a "Vihara in Budur". Apart from that, Soekmono (1976) also put forward the popular opinion that this temple began to be completely abandoned since the local population converted to Islam in the 15th century.

This monument was not completely forgotten, through folklore Borobudur changed from being evidence of past glories into a more superstitious story associated with bad luck, misfortune and suffering. Two Javanese chronicles written in the 18th century mention bad luck associated with this monument.

According to Babad Tanah Jawi (History of Java), this monument was a fatal factor for Mas Dana, a dissident who rebelled against Pakubuwono I, king of the Mataram Sultanate in 1709. It is said that the "Redi Borobudur" hill was surrounded and the rebels were defeated and executed by the king.

In Babad Mataram (History of the Mataram Kingdom), it is associated with the misfortune of Prince Monconagoro, crown prince of the Yogyakarta Sultanate who visited this chandi in 1757. Despite the taboo that forbids people from visiting this chandi, "the Prince came and visited the warrior who was imprisoned in the cage (the Buddha statue contained in the open-air stupa)". Upon returning to the palace, the Prince fell ill and died a day later.

The eruption of Mount Merapi is thought to be the main cause of the abandonment of Borobudur. In Javanese beliefs during the Islamic Mataram period, the ruins of enshrinement buildings were considered to be the abode of spirits and were considered wingit (haunted) so they were associated with bad luck or misfortune that might befall anyone who came and visited this site.

Although scientifically it is suspected, perhaps after this site was neglected and covered with bushes, this place was once a nest for disease outbreaks such as dengue fever or malaria.

Rediscovery

After the Anglo-Dutch War over the island of Java, Java was under British (British) rule from 1811 to 1816. Thomas Stamford Raffles was appointed Governor General, and he had a special interest in Javanese history. He collected antique artifacts from ancient Javanese art and made notes about Javanese history and culture which he collected from his encounters with local people on his travels around Java.

On his inspection visit to Semarang in 1814, he was informed of the existence of a large monument deep in the forest near the village of Bumisegoro. Due to his absence and duties, he could not go alone to search for the building and sent H.C. Cornelius, a Dutch engineer, to investigate the existence of this large building.

In two months, Cornelius and 200 of his subordinates cut down the trees and bushes that grew on the Borobudur hill and cleared the layer of soil that buried this temple. Due to the threat of land slides, he was unable to dig and clear all the passages. He reported his findings to Raffles, including submitting various sketches of the Borobudur temple. Raffles was credited with rediscovering the once lost monument.

Hartmann, a Dutch East Indies government official in the Kedu Residency continued Cornelius' work and in 1835 finally all parts of the building had been excavated and visible. His interest in Borobudur was more personal than his work duties. Hartmann did not write reports on his activities; in particular, rumors circulated that he had discovered a large Buddha statue in the main stupa.

In 1842, Hartmann investigated the main stupa although what he found remains a mystery because the interior of the stupa was empty. The first photo of Borobudur by Isidore van Kinsbergen (1873) after the monument was cleared of plants growing on the body of the temple.

The highest terrace after Van Erp's restoration. The main stupa has a tower with a three-tiered chattra (umbrella). The Dutch East Indies government assigned F.C. Wilsen, a Dutch engineer in the field of engineering, he studied this monument and drew hundreds of relief sketches. J.F.G. Brumund was also appointed to carry out more detailed research on the monument, which he completed in 1859.

The government planned to publish an article based on Brumund's research supplemented by Wilsen's sketches, but Brumund refused to cooperate.The Dutch East Indies government then commissioned another scientist, C. Leemans, who compiled a monograph based on sources from Brumund and Wilsen. In 1873, the first monograph and more detailed study of Borobudur was published, followed by a translated edition in French a year later.

The first photo of this monument was taken in 1873 by Dutch engrapher Isidore van Kinsbergen. Appreciation for the site is growing slowly. For quite a long time Borobudur has been a source of souvenirs and income for thieves, temple looters and "artefact hunter" collectors. The head of the Buddha statue is the part that is most often stolen, because stealing the entire Buddha statue is too heavy and big. That's why many headless Buddha statues are now found in Borobudur. The Borobudur Buddha head has long been a target for antiquities collectors and museums throughout the world.

Artifacts and statues as well as several parts of Borobudur buildings that are known to have been lost include; five Buddha statues along with 30 stones with reliefs, two lion statues, several kala-shaped stones, stairs and gates, and a dwarapala guard statue that once stood on Dagi Hill a few hundred meters northwest of Borobudur. Some of these artifacts are now on display in several museums around the world.

In 1882, the chief inspector of cultural artifacts recommended that Borobudur be completely dismantled and the reliefs moved to the museum due to unstable conditions, uncertainties and theft that were rampant at the monument. As a result, the government appointed Groenveldt, an archaeologist, to conduct a thorough investigation of the site and take into account the actual condition of the complex; The report stated that these concerns were excessive and suggested that the building be left intact and not dismantled to be moved.

Source: Guide Book arisguide. Guiding Techniques Chandi Borobudur arisguide.

Stair through the Kala makara carved gate of Borobudur. 
Source: Guiding technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto screenshot arisguide. 

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Borobudur-insight into a meditation.

Get more narration and materials about Chandi Borobudur in Barabudur atau Borobudur, Candi Buddha Pusaka Budaya Indonesia.

Reading is more fun exploring the thematic narratives in more detail in KEBUDAYAAN BOROBUDUR - BELAJAR DENGAN PAMONG CARITA.

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Travel guide to Borobudur with Pamong Carita.

Reading in English is fun and also seems so interesting to translate into language that is easy and flexible, get readings in detail in Welcome to Borobudur Temple, the fabric of life in the Buddhist culture.

Welcome to Borobudur.

Source: Guiding technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto screenshot arisguide.

Borobudur Temple is a Mahayana Buddhist temple, built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra dynasty, designed in the form of Javanese Buddhist architecture, which combines the original Indonesian culture of ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of achieving Nirvana.

Explore, admire the beauty of art in pictures and photos by typing the detailed link in PHOTO IMAGE BOROBUDUR.

Welcome to more narrative about Chandi Borobudur in Selamat Datang di Kebudayaan Borobudur - wisata dengan Pamong Carita.

Borobudur

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