A STORY BEHIND THE RELIEF SCULPTURE OF BOROBUDUR

A STORY BEHIND THE RELIEF SCULPTURE

 OF BOROBUDUR

According to the history of Borobudur was built by King Smaratungga. One of the king of the ancient Mataram kingdom of Sailendra dynasty in the 8th century. According to legend Borobudur was built by an architect named Gunadharma. 

Borobudur Temple building area 15,129 m2, composed of 55,000 m3 of rock, from 2 million pieces of rocks. The average stone size 25 cm X 10 cm X 15 cm. Overall length of the stone pieces of 500 km with a total weight of 1.3 million tons of stone. The walls of Borobudur Temple surrounded by pictures or reliefs which are a series of stories in 1460 panels. The length of each panel is 2 meters. If the series of reliefs that stretched the length of the relief entirely approximately 3 miles. Number ten levels, levels 1-6 of a square, while level 7-10 round. Statues found throughout the temple amounted to 504 pieces. High temple from ground level to the tip of the main stupa was 42 meters, 34.5 meters but now lives after being struck by lightning.

Seen from a distance, Borobudur looks like arrangement of building a staircase or a pyramid and a stupa. Borobudur is a form of pyramid building "kepunden staircase".

Seen from the air, similar to the shape of lotus Borobudur. Lotus are symbols used in homage (worship) of Buddhism, symbolizing purity, Buddhists reminded to always keep the mind and heart remain clean despite being in an environment that is not clean.

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp never provide scientific delusion on the Borobudur. Nieuwenkamp said that Borobudur is building a lotus flower floating on the lake. The lake is now dry. Aerial photographs Kedu area does give the impression of vast lakes around the Borobudur Temple.

The name Borobudur is a combination of the word "Bara" and "Budur". "Bara" from Sanskrit means temple or monastery. While "Budur" comes from the word meaning Beduhur above, thereby Borobudur means monastery on the hill. 

Borobudur consists of 10 levels, measuring 123 x 123 meters. Height 42 meters before it was renovated and 34.5 meters after the renovation because the lowest level was used as a buffer. This Buddhist temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies in its complex. Six lowest level of a square and three levels on top of a circle and the highest levels of Buddhist stupa facing to the west. Each level represents the stages of human life. Appropriate school of Mahayana Buddhism, every person who wants to reach the level as the Buddha had to through every level of the life.

* Kamadhatu, the base of Borobudur, symbolizing human beings that are still bound by lust.

*Rupadhatu, four levels above it, symbolizing human beings that have set themselves free from lust but still bound manner and form. At these levels, a statue of Buddha placed open.

* Arupadhatu, three levels above where the Buddhist stupa placed in the holes. Symbolizing human beings that have been free from lust, appearance, and shape. 

* Arupa, the very top that symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing. 

Each terrace has reliefs that will be read coherently runs clockwise (towards the left of the entrance of the temple). In the reliefs of Borobudur tells of a legendary story, a variety of story content, among other reliefs there on the epic Ramayana, there are also reliefs Jataka stories. In addition, there are relief panels describing the condition of society at that time. For example, relief of farmers' activity reflecting the advance of agriculture system and relief of sailing boat representing the advance of navigation that time was based in Bergotta (Semarang).

All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect Buddha's teachings. A Buddhist from India named Atisha, in the 10th century, had visited the temple that was built 3 centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe. Thanks to visiting Borobudur and having supply of Buddha teaching script from Serlingpa (King of Sriwijaya), Atisha was able to develop Buddhism. He became abbot Vikramasila and taught Tibetans of practicing Dharma. Six manuscripts of Serlingpa was condensed into a core doctrine called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" or better known as Bodhipathapradipa.