Borobudur Temple - 2

Inside Ancient Megastructure
GREAT BOROBUDUR TEMPLE - 2
The Heritage of Sailendra Dynasty For The World

Borobudur is built as a single large stupa, and when viewed from above takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. Some scholars think that this massive monument is a gigantic textbook of Buddhism to help people to achieve enlightenment. To read this Buddhist textbook in stone requires a walk of more than two miles. The walls of the galleries are adorned with impressive reliefs illustrating the life of Buddha Shakyamuni and the principles of his teaching.

Schematic shape of Great Borobudur Temple from top view.

ARCHITECTURE

The foundation of Great Borobudur Temple is a square, approximately 118 meters on each side. It has nine platforms, of which the lower six are square and the upper three are circular.

Square Foundation compare to Aerial View of Great Borobudur Temple.

The upper platform features seventy-two small stupas surrounding one large central stupa. Each stupa is bell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorative openings. Statues of the Buddha sit inside the pierced enclosures.

Aerial Photograph of The Great Borobudur Temple.

The architect Gunadharma is actually recounted from Javanese legendary folk tales (rather than written in old inscriptions). He was said to be one who "... bears the measuring rod, knows division and thinks himself composed of parts." The basic unit measurement he used during the construction was called tala, defined as the length of a human face from the forehead's hairline to the tip of the chin or the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger when both fingers are stretched at their maximum distance. The unit metrics is then obviously relative between persons, but the monument has exact measurements.

Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia which have identical measurement ratio formula with Great Borobudur Temple (4:6:9)

A survey conducted in 1977 revealed frequent findings of a ratio of 4:6:9 around the monument. The architect had used the formula to lay out the precise dimensions of Borobudur. The identical ratio formula was further found in the nearby Buddhist temples of Pawon and Mendhut. Archeologists conjectured the purpose of the ratio formula and the tala dimension has calendrical, astronomical and cosmological themes, as of the case in other Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Cross Section of Great Borobudur Temple, showing 4:6:9 height ratio for foot, body and head.

Borobudur differs markedly with the general design of other structures built for this purpose. Instead of building on a flat surface, Borobudur is built on a natural hill. The building technique is, however, similar to other temples in Java. With no inner space as in other temples and its general design similar to the shape of pyramid.

The main vertical structure can be divided into three groups : The Base, The Body and The Top. These three groups are resembles the three major division of a human body.

The Base (or foot) which is a 123x123 m² square in size and 4 meters (13 ft) high of walls.

The Body which is composed of five square platforms each with diminishing heights.

The first terrace is set back 7 meters (23 ft) from the edge of the base. The other terraces are set back by 2 meters (7 ft), leaving a narrow corridor at each stage.

The Top consists of 3 circular platforms, with each stage supporting a row of perforated stupas, arranged in concentric circles.

There is one main dome at the center, the top of which is the highest point of the monument (35 meters above ground level). Access to the upper part is through stairways at the centre of each side with a number of gates, watched by a total of 32 lion statues.

The Main Gate Entrance of Great Borobudur Temple at the eastern side of the Site.

The main entrance is at the eastern side, the location of the first narrative reliefs. On the slopes of the hill, there are also stairways linking the monument to the low-lying plain. The monument's three divisions symbolize three stages of mental preparation towards the ultimate goal according to the Buddhist cosmology as Kamadhatu (the world of desires) which is represented by the base, Rupadhatu (the world of forms) which is represented by the five square platforms (the body), Arupadhatu (the formless world) which is represented by the three circular platforms and the large topmost stupa.

RELIEF

A Sample of Carved Relief Stone from Great Borobudur Temple

Borobudur contains approximately 2,670 individual bas reliefs (1,460 narrative and 1,212 decorative panels), which cover the façades and balustrades. The total relief surface is 2,500 square meters (26,909.8 sq ft) and they are distributed at the hidden foot (Kamadhatu) and the five square platforms (Rupadhatu). The narrative panels, which tell the story of Sudhana and Manohara, are grouped into 11 series encircled the monument with the total length of 3,000 meters (9,843 ft).

Relief at the corridor wall of Great borobudur Temple showing Bodhisattva departed the Tushita heaven surrounded by a hundred thousand million kotis of bodhisattvas, Devas, nagas and yaksas.

The hidden foot contains the first series with 160 narrative panels and the remaining 10 series are distributed throughout walls and balustrades in four galleries starting from the eastern entrance stairway to the left. Narrative panels on the wall read from right to left, while on the balustrade read from left to right. This conforms with pradaksina, the ritual of circumambulation performed by pilgrims who move in a clockwise direction while keeping the sanctuary to their right. The hidden foot depicts the workings of karmic law. The walls of the first gallery have two superimposed series of reliefs; each consists of 120 panels.

A Relief of the Great Borobudur Temple, illustrating Buddha History.

The upper part depicts the biography of the Buddha, while the lower part of the wall and also balustrades in the first and the second galleries tell the story of the Buddha's former lives. The remaining panels are devoted to Sudhana's further wandering about his search, terminated by his attainment of the Perfect Wisdom.

BUDDHA STATUE

Various Buddha Statue at the body of Great Borobudur Temple

Borobudur has many statues of various Buddhas. The cross-legged statues are seated in a lotus position and distributed on the five square platforms (the Rupadhatu level) as well as on the top platform (the Arupadhatu level). The Buddha statues are in niches at the Rupadhatu level, arranged in rows on the outer sides of the balustrades, the number of statues decreasing as platforms progressively diminish to the upper level. The first balustrades have 104 niches, the second 104, the third 88, the fourth 72 and the fifth 64. In total, there are 432 Buddha statues at the Rupadhatu level.

Buddha Statue inside Stupa of Great Borobudur Temple.

At the Arupadhatu level (or the three circular platforms), Buddha statues are placed inside perforated stupas. The first circular platform has 32 stupas, the second 24 and the third 16, that add up to 72 stupas. Of the original 504 Buddha statues, over 300 are damaged (mostly headless) and 43 are missing (since the monument's discovery, heads have been stolen as collector's items, mostly by Western museums).

Buddha Statue on the upper terrace of Great Borobudur Temple.

At glance, all the Buddha statues appear similar, but there is a subtle difference between them in the mudras or the position of the hands. There are five groups of mudra: North, East, South, West and Zenith, which represent the five cardinal compass according to Mahayana. The first four balustrades have the first four mudras: North, East, South and West, of which the Buddha statues that face one compass direction have the corresponding mudra. Buddha statues at the fifth balustrades and inside the 72 stupas on the top platform have the same mudra: Zenith. Each mudra represent one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas; each has its own symbolism. They are Abhaya mudra for Amoghasiddhi (north), Vara mudra for Ratnasambhava (south), Dhyana mudra for Amitabha (west), Bhumisparsa mudra for Aksobhya (east) and Dharmachakra mudra for Vairochana (zenith).

In the end, as one of the World's Seven Wonder, There still so many untold story about The Great Borobudur Temple...and waiting to be discovered.

Summary from several source :
- Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library
- UNESCO
- Wikipedia
- Many Book and Internet Site which can not be mentioned one by one here