Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist wonder in the world and was listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1991. The temple was built in the 9th century under the Sailendra dynasty in the Javanese Buddhist architectural style. So what is so special about Borobudur temple that attracts so many tourists? Let’s find out with Top10theworld.com!
Where is Borobudur Temple located?
“Borobudur” in Indonesian means “Buddha tower on a high hill”. Borobudur Temple is located in central Java, Indonesia with a unique architecture with nine floors layered on top of three circles and six squares topped by a round roof. Borobudur Temple is decorated with 2672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Above the dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues and each Buddha will be placed in a relief.
The temple was built in the 9th century under the Sailendra dynasty in the unique Javanese architectural style. Besides, this place is also mixed with the ancestor worship of the indigenous people of Indonesia. Borobudur Temple reflects the Indian influence in this area, however, the temple still has distinct Indonesian features.
Today, Borobudur Temple is also a place of pilgrimage for Buddhist followers, once a year, Buddhists in Indonesia hold the Great Buddha’s Birthday at the temple. This is considered the most popular tourist attraction in Indonesia.
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Borobudur Temple History
Borobudur Temple was built between the 8th and 9th centuries during the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty. The Borobudur Temple area is located on a hilltop in the middle of a fertile plain and stands out in the middle of the basin, surrounded by mountains and forests around Borobudur.
The Borobudur tower temple, was abandoned and forgotten for more than 10 centuries after the fall of the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty. In 1814, there was a delegation of scientists in Europe sent by the Dutch government in Indonesia, then they conducted research and restored the temple. Borobudur Temple was dilapidated, damaged too much. Until 1970, the Indonesian government had to call on UNESCO to help. Then, 600 famous restorers in the world restored the temple over the course of 12 years and cost up to 50 million USD.
Today, Borobudur Temple has been restored, although not completely restored as before, but has shown its appearance and made visitors extremely admired. Borobudur Temple deserves to be one of the famous wonders of Asia.
The unique architecture of Borobudur temple complex
The general architecture of Borobudur Temple is divided into three parts from low to high, representing the three scenes in the Saha world: The lowest floor is the world of desire, the next floor is the form world, and the top floors are formless. gender. Borobudur was representative of experimental Buddhism for the Buddhists of the Sailendra dynasty. From Borobudur Temple they can visualize their own cultivation process.
When visiting Borobudur Temple, start from the east gate and go clockwise, there are stairs on each floor to climb to a higher floor. Atop the cliffs are rendered sculptural scenes of the Desire Realm, including scenes of the world of lust (kamadhatu), displaying all kinds of beings such as humans, hungry ghosts, animals, and scenes such as greed, low impulses, lust and hatred. Starting from the next level is the scene of the Formless Realm of saints, and finally the deities of the Formless Realm. In particular, on the top floor recounts the story of the Buddha’s predecessor in many previous lives, then the day of his birth, the day the Buddha left the palace to seek the way, the day the Buddha attained Enlightenment, and The day the Buddha attained enlightenment…
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Borobudur Temple Origins
The origin of the Borobudur temple is still a mystery that no one has yet discovered. There are many opinions that the origin of Borobudur temple originates from Cambodia – the ancient country of Buddhism. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Sanjaya dynasty, which practiced Hinduism and worshiped the god Shiva, established its capital in the north-central part of Java Island. A Cambodian prince was protected by this dynasty, and he later returned to Cambodia in 802 and was crowned king. Many people say that it was he who brought home Borobudur’s first project, because they found in Cambodia a small temple built of brick in the shape of a pyramid that corresponds to the model of Borobudur.
The year 850 is considered the completion of Borobudur. However, around the turn of the 18th century, Arab traders introduced Islam to Indonesia. Within two hundred years, the whole country of Indonesia was almost completely Islamized. And the Borobudur temple fell into ruin since then. It was not until after the end of World War II that Indonesians gradually became aware of the importance of Borobudur, then they immediately invited archaeologists from around the world to study, besides asking UNESCO help to restore. And then an emergency program in 1948 launched by the United Nations helped bring Borobudur out of ruin and oblivion. This was followed by a broader restoration program, which lasted from 1973 to 1982, led by UNESCO in cooperation with the 27 countries of the world that restored Borobudur Temple.
Today, Borobudur Temple is the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia. The Borobudur temple complex is not only an admirable wonder of Indonesia but also the greatest and most valuable architectural art work of the Buddhist world and of all mankind, this is worthy of being one of the wonders of the world. famous in Asia. For more details about this attractive tourist destination, don’t forget to follow the website Top10theworld.com!
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