Borobudur
Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist temple. It always get mistaken that it located in Jogjakarta. In fact, it located on Magelang, Central Java.
The monument is consist of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The main dome is located at the center of the top platform, which is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
Borobudur is a ten-story temple which clearly illustrates the Mahayana philosophy. Like the holy book, Borobudur describes ten Bodhisattva levels which must be pass to reach the perfection of Buddha.
The foot of Borobudur represents Kamadhatu, which referred to 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. In the closed structures there are 120 additional panels of Kammawibhangga story. A small portion was set aside additional structure so that people can still see the relief in this section.
At every level of the temple is being carved reliefs on temple walls. These reliefs read as counter-clockwise or called mapradaksina in Old Javanese language derived from Sanskrit, daksina, the meaning is east. These reliefs variety of story content, among other reliefs Jataka stories.
In sequence, the story of the temple reliefs meaningful briefly as follows:
Karmawibhangga
In accordance with the symbolic meaning of the foot of the temple, reliefs that decorated the walls are covered shelf is describe the law of karma.
Lalitawistara
This history is a depiction of the Buddha in a row of relief (but not a complete history) which starts from the Buddha’s descent from heaven Tusita, and ends with the first sermon in the Deer Park near the city of Banaras.
Jataka dan Awadana
Jataka tales are stories of the Buddha before he was born as Prince Siddharta. The content is the subject of good works, which distinguishes the Bodhisattvas from any other creature and being a perfect human being with good attitude toward other is also a preparatory stage in the level of effort towards the Buddhahood.
While Awadana, basically similar to the Jataka but the doer is not the Bodhisattvas, but other people and the stories collected in the book which means Diwyawadana noble deeds sainthood.
Gandawyuha
This is the story of a wandering Sudhana tirelessly in his quest for the Highest Knowledge of the True by Sudhana Truth.
Borobudur nowadays is being more famous and become the main destination of tourist who passing by the Central Java.
Borobudur remain the Heaven itself
Written by
http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/central-java/borobudur.html
