(First published in Small World Ezine on 12 August 2003)
Our condolences to the families of all Jakarta's Bomb
Victims. Today I will introduce you to "Borobudur" --
Indonesia's most visited historical site. It is said to be
another wonder of the World. If you do not feel like going
to Indonesia at this time, take our virtual tour and use
your imagination ;-)
They said it's a Buddhist temple. I would say it's nothing
rather than a large step pyramid topped with several bell-
shaped stupas (pagodas), of which purpose was to store
ashes. You can say it's a large monumental urn. In Buddhism,
stupas this big were normally built to keep the ashes of
Lord Buddha and some of his famous followers.
Borobudur (assumed to be derived from Sanskrit "parama" --
"big" or "supreme" and "Buddho" -- "Buddha". Locals gave
the name to this place centuries after -- when Java has
already converted to Muslim) was built by the Sailendra
Dynasty of Java, between 762 and 824 AD, a full three
centuries before Angkor Wat, and four-hundred years before
work began on the great Cathedrals of Europe. Little is
known of its early history, except a massive workforce
consisting of sculptors, plasterers, master masons and
painters converged on the site, laboring under the tropical
heat to move and carve the 60,000 cubic metres of stone.
It's structure is comprised of 55,000 square metres of lava
rock erected on a hill in the form of a stepped pyramid of
six rectangular stories, three circular terraces and
culminating in a central stupa, forming its summit. From
above, entire Temple seems to be built in the form of a
giant lotus.
If you need figures,... The stupa is some 31.5m high, and
almost square with a side of 123m. From a broad podium, the
visitor progresses through four relief-covered galleries to
a circular terrace, adorned with 72 bell-shaped perforated
stupas, each containing a seated Buddha. If you'd like to
meditate. Start from the base. Walk clockwise until the top
(about 4 km.). There (at the top), people like to sit down
and either enjoy the scenery or meditate in the quiet
environment... until the next tour group arrives LOL...
They believe that Borobudur was abandoned by the time
the power changed hands because the religion also changed.
As the structure was built out of grey volcanic stone, the
tropical climate, with an average rainfall of over 2m per
annum, has ensured that the structure has been invaded by
mosses and lichens. Shaken by several earthquakes, covered
by volcanic dust from the nearby volcano, and over-grown by
Java's equatorial rain forest, the great monument was
unknown to the world for centuries.
The discovery credit of 1814 was given to British Governor,
Sir Stamford Raffles. He and his people cleared out the
trees and bushes and checked the fallen stones. The resident
of Kedu, C. L. Hartmann, did further clearance work in 1834
and 1835. Nevertheless, degradation continued. Later it
was even proposed that the reliefs be dismounted and
displayed in a purpose-built museum. But then they
discovered a secret basement which had led to the second
restoration.
The second restoration was done and documented by N. J. Krom
& Th. Van Erp in 1919. But that was not the final work with
this great Buddhist monument. The third restoration started
with UNESCO's appeal in 1972, and the work actually
completed in 1983. Money came from Indonesian government,
UNESCO campaigns and helps from 27 other countries.
The Buddhist sanctuary of Borobudur was included in UNESCO's
list of the world cultural heritage in 1991. See the
finished restored site at ...
http://www.geocities.com/tripborobudur/default.htm
More:
How to get there... to Indonesia and to the site.
Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, is also located on
Java island. Several world's major airlines fly there. If
there is no direct flight from where you live, look for a
flight to Singapore or Bangkok. Singapore airline, Thai
Airways and Garuda (Indonesia's official airline) have
several daily flights from these cities.
ASEAN, U.S., and Australian citizens can arrive without
a visa. But if you plan to stay for a long time, you still
need one. Contact the nearest embassy for details.
From Jakarta, you can buy a boat/bus ticket to Yogyakarta.
From there take another bus to Borobudur. It takes about 40
minutes to an hour. You can also rent a car or taxi. A
private guided taxi (taxi of which driver also acts as a
tourist guide) is available from airports, large hotels or
touristic sites.
When you are there, do not forget to visit the nearby Hindu
temples of Mendut and Pawon.
And when you are in Yogyakarta or "Yogya" (pronounced
"JogJa"), get around and see the cultural shows, arts/crafts
and historical museums they have there. Silverware is also
a big industry in Yogya. You can even wander around to see
the silversmiths at work.
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