Lost temple complex of Borobudur

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

One of the great and unique monuments of ancient cultures of the world, is rightfully the majestic temple complex of Borobudur, located on the island of Java. It is considered the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Located 40 kilometers from the city of Jogyakarta (Java island), the complex covers an area of 2.5 thousand square kilometers.

The temple structure is considered Buddhist, but no one knows why it was built here. According to one of the legends, Shakyamuni Buddha himself is buried under the buildings of the temple, and according to another - this is Mount Meru, which is the center of the universe. Immediately after the construction of Borobudur, people left the Kedu valley.

According to scientists, when Islam began to spread to Java, local Buddhists covered the temple with earth, hiding it from prying eyes. But there is a possibility that it was covered with ash as a result of the violent eruption of Mount Merapi in 1006. Ashes could cover both the temple itself and the roads leading to it. Be that as it may, but for a thousand years only initiates knew about Borobudur.

The first buildings of the temple were discovered by the Dutch, who in 1811-1814 fought with the British for the island of Java. The Dutch had neither the time for excavations nor the desire to spend them. They simply did not attach much importance to the find.

The English General Thomas Stamford Raffles realized that a strange hill located in the jungle could be of scientific interest. The general, who was a good connoisseur of history, botany and archeology, a gigantic hill immediately aroused the desire to begin archaeological work.

Arming his soldiers with shovels and brooms, Raffles set about digging. The very first find, in the form of a statue of a man sitting in a lotus position, delighted everyone and raised many questions. The leading excavators were surprised that the temple covered with earth was located in a dense jungle, far from people.

Local residents, who served as guides for the British, also looked at the discovered structures with genuine surprise.

Thomas Raffles did not succeed in completing the excavations begun - in 1814 the British ceded Java to the Dutch and left the island.

Further exploration of the temple was continued by a Dutch officer named Cornelius. He attracted two hundred soldiers to the archaeological work. As the excavations were carried out, temple structures freed from a layer of volcanic ash and stupas similar to inverted bells began to appear. And in some stupas, Indonesian deities were sitting in the lotus position.

Before the eyes of the researchers, a gigantic temple structure freed from soil and ash was growing. It took a lot of effort and a lot of time to clean it.

Only in 1885 did Borobudur appear before people in all its splendor. But, by that time, numerous souvenir hunters managed to inflict significant damage on the complex. Some fragments of the structure were removed from Indonesia. It was easy to plunder a temple far from civilization. The Dutch administration even made a proposal to dismantle the monument of ancient culture and place parts of it in museums around the world. But common sense ultimately prevailed and the complex remained intact.

About the find on the island of Java of the Borobudur complex, most Europeans learned only at the beginning of the twentieth century, when they were able to see photographs of the temple. In 1907-1911, the first major restoration of the complex was undertaken by a young Dutch officer Theodor van Erp, which was crowned with success. The complex managed to give a solemn and imposing appearance.

The beginning of the construction of the temple found in the jungle of the island of Java, scientists attribute to 750 AD, the heyday of the Kingdom of Majalahit during the reign of the Saillendra dynasty. It is believed to have been in progress for about 75 years. Thousands of ordinary builders, stone-makers and architects were involved in the construction of the temple. Having only primitive tools, they carved blocks of the desired shape from the stones and, laying them one on one, carved the figures of Buddhas.

The highest point of the temple is the main stupa, which rises 35 meters above the ground. It is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, which are made sitting inside perforated stupas. In total, there are 504 Buddha statues in the temple.

The walls of the galleries of the complex are lined with 1460 stone slabs with bas-reliefs telling about the life of Prince Siddharta, who became Guatama Buddha and about the wanderings of bodhisattvas.

The total length of the bas-reliefs is about five kilometers. For a careful study of all the bas-reliefs located in the complex, you need to spend at least 16 hours.

The temple structures were made of dark gray andesite stone, which is also known on the island of Java as "temple stone". The total volume of the complex's structures is about 55,000 cubic meters.

Borobudur is one of the main places of mass pilgrimage and tourism in Indonesia. The Buddhist pilgrims arriving here, as they complete the ritual passage of each tier of the structure, get acquainted with the life of the Buddha and the elements of his teachings. They run clockwise seven times at each level.

But the temple is not only visited by Buddhists. Many climb Borobudur to make an important decision. It is believed that during meditation on the upper terrace, the correct decision comes to the meditator by itself.

Other visitors tend to believe that walking through the galleries and seeing paintings from the life of the Buddha, they will be able to radically change their lives. Believing that as soon as the viewing of the paintings is over, their life will certainly change for the better.

Still others, while visiting the temple complex, they simply touch the statues of Buddha sitting in stupas, believing that this brings happiness.

Due to the fact that Borobudur was built on a hill, to prevent the destruction of the ancient monument from soil erosion, sinking, corrosion and damage from the jungle vegetation, from 1973 to 1984, under the auspices of UNESCO, a titanic work was done on its complete restoration. The structure was completely dismantled, and the hill was fortified. After which the complex was reassembled. The well-known Indonesian archaeologist Bukhari M.

Some structures of the complex received minor damage on September 21, 1985 as a result of the bombings of Muslim extremists. But from the powerful earthquake that occurred on May 27, 2006, which caused severe destruction in the vicinity of Yogyakarta, the structures of the complex did not suffer.

Currently, the Borobudur complex is included in the list of World Heritage Sites and is under the patronage of UNESCO.