Borobudur is constructed in the 9th century.
The name Borobudur is believed to have been derived from combination of "Boro" and "Budur".
In Sanskrit, Boro comes from "Vihara" which means temple (monastery) and Budur has the same meaning as "Beduhur" which means top.
Therefore, Borobudur means a monastery on the top of a hill.
Borobudur is often described as the world's largest Buddhist stupa.
It consists of six square terraces. On the top of it there are three circular platforms.
It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
Stairways are provided for people to access this monumental stupa.
Each level of Borobudur represents the stages оf human life.
The lowest level of it represent Kamadhatu - the world of desire. It illustrate scenes from human life subject to Karma, the cycle of birth and rebirth.
It is decorated with 160 reliefs showing ugly scenes of human desire.
Rupadhatu - the world of forms, symbolizing human beings that have set themselves free from lust but still tied to appearance.
The reliefs begin to tell the story of the Buddha's conception and birth.
The four top levels of Borobudur represents Arupadhatu - the world of formlessness.
It symbolizes men that have freed themselves from lust and appearance.
Arupa is the top that symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing.
The stupa is empty as it symbolizes the escape to Nirvana, the final goal of Buddhism.
Borobudur is built as a single large stupa. Its form, essentially a truncated pyramid crowned by a cone, combines the symbolism of Mount Meru (the centre of Buddhist and Hindu cosmology) with that of stupa —— earth and heaven, existence and Nirvana.
There are 72 small bell-shaped stupas encircling the main one on the upper terraces, and lower down there are still more.
All contained statues of the Buddha seated in the yoga pose and differing from one another only in significant gestures of the hands —— teaching, turning the wheel of law, casting down evil or simply meditating.
Most visitors are not allowed to enter the stupa at the top,
not that there is nothing to see - it is empty as it symbolizes nothingness(ultimate goal in Buddhism).
Reference:
Hugh Honour & John Fleming. (2005). A World History of Art (pp. 244-246). London. Laurence King Publishing.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, July 16). Borobudur.
Retrieved 2012 July 31, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur
Borobudur temple history. (n.d.). Borobudur Temple is one of the wonders of the world.
Retrieved 2012 July 31, from http://www.squidoo.com/borobudur-temple-is-one-of-the-wonders-of-the-world
kstanvideo. (2011, Feb 15). Borobudur: A Forgotten Buddhist Kingdom.
Retrieved 2012 July 31, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbv8_5h_rwU
UNESCO/CLT/WHC. (n.d.). Borobudur Temple Compounds.
Retrieved 2012 July 31, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592/
By: Fan Jie Yun 1200355
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