Architecture of Borobudur

Welcome to Borobudur, one of the sacred buildings of Buddhism as a World Cultural Heritage site. The splendor and beauty of Borobudur has its own historical value for Indonesian people. The Indonesian government has designated Chandi Borobudur as a major tourist attraction, and also a priority tourist destination for domestic and foreign visitors.

Chandi Borobudur attracts extraordinary enthusiasm to visit and explore several narrative sources in thematic tours, with the aim of getting to know more closely the history, architecture and fine arts of this building.

The friendly Pamong Carita will accompany and guide you to provide explanations and narratives about Borobudur and its surroundings. Introducing 'Upanat', namely special footwear worn when visiting the terraces through a corridor with a series of relief panel galleries, leading to the top of the circular upper terrace with a row of stupas at Borobudur Temple. Explore history and admire the beauty of architectural art, as well as the origin of the name Chandi Borobudur.

Viewed from the monument, 

it looks very much like the profile of a man lying on the ridge of the mountain. The nose, lips and chin are clearly delineated. This peculiarity has not escaped notice.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto a screenshot arisguide.

According to the story, the ridge called Menoreh depicts Gunadharma, the architect of Chandi Borobudur, according to tradition, who is believed to have guarded his creations for centuries.

Consisting of nine superimposed terraces, 

and crowned by a huge bell - shaped stupa.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto arisguide.

Welcome, nice to meet you on the Borobudur tour, You will now step on and visit the splendor of Chandi Borobudur which is one of the world's cultural heritage sites. The reopening of Borobudur sends an interesting opportunity to explore several narrative sources about the existence of the Borobudur in the insights of travel guides on to Borobudur.

Mentioned in the history of Borobudur, there is one of the relief panels carved on a hidden foot, based on the text of Karmawibhangga, panel number 150, concerning about the offering of footwear called 'Upanat', which is dedicated to Brahmins.

The bas-relief of the foot wall is hidden in the Karmawibhangga text panel number 150, regarding the offering of footwear with the name 'Upanat', the footwear offered to Brahmins, in order to obtain rewards and prosperity in life.

The bas-relief of the foot wall 

is hidden in the Karmawibhangga text panel number 150, regarding the offering of footwear with the name 'Upanat', the footwear offered to Brahmins, in order to obtain rewards and prosperity in life.

Source: Borobudur Conservation Center. Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. A screenshot arisguide.

The relief found on the wall of hidden foot, based on the Karmawibhangga text panel 150, concerns the offering of a footwear as its name 'Upanat', a special footwear offered to Brahmins, to obtain merit and prosperity in life.

Introducing 'Upanat', a footwear used to visit on the terraces of Chandi Borobudur, with the aim of getting to know the monument better, learning history, doing thematic tours and admiring the splendor of Chandi Borobudur as a sacred temple for Buddhists. The trip will be part of an appreciation in learning, admiring, and participating in safeguarding and protecting the world cultural heritage site located at Borobudur Indonesia.

It's fun going around the temple to get a source of explanation guided by a tour guide. Opportunity to find out the source, explanation of the written history of Chandi Borobudur and study of Borobudur at glance.

You will now step on and visit the splendor of Chandi Borobudur which is one of the world's cultural heritage sites.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto arisguide.

Step on Borobudur

Chandi Borobudur is one of a world cultural heritage site or World Heritage Site, a Buddhist temple located in Borobudur, belongs to Magelang regency and located in Central Java province. To reach the monument is approximately 96 kilometers from Semarang, the capital city of Central Java, and approximately 86 kilometers from the city of Surakarta, and about 40 kilometers from the city of Yogyakarta.

Chandi Borobudur is located right above the hill and built in the middle of several mountains and hills. Looking to the west, there are Mount Sundoro and Sumbing. Looking to the east you can see Mount Merbabu and an active volcano, Merapi. View to the north, it is approximately 15 kilometers from Borobudur, there is Tidar hill, and to the south it is bounded by the Menoreh hill range. Borobudur is located at the confluence of two rivers, they are Progo and Elo River, located right in the middle between the east of Chandi Borobudur and Pawon Temple.

Chandi Borobudur or Barabudur 

is a 9th–century Mahayana Buddhist temple, which consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome, surrounded by 72 stupas and decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto a screenshot arisguide.

Architecture

The upper platform features seventy-two small stupas.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto a screenshot arisguide.

Consisting of nine superimposed terraces, and crowned by a huge bell - shaped stupa. Borobudur stupas on the ninth levels, the terrace of Arupadhatu.

Source: Guide Book arisguide. Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto arisguide.

Chandi Borobudur differs completely from the general design of such structures. It is not a building erected on a flat, horizontal base, leaving an inner space for the enthronement of a statue, but a stepped pyramid, consisting of nine superimposed terraces, and crowned by a huge bell - shaped stupa.

Architecture

The archeological excavation into Borobudur during reconstruction suggests that adherents of Hinduism or a pre-Indic faith had already begun to erect a large structure on Borobudur’s hill before the site was appropriated by Buddhists. The foundations are unlike any Hindu or Buddhist shrine structures, and therefore, the initial structure is considered more indigenous Javanese than Hindu or Buddhist.

Borobudur is built as a single large stupa and, when viewed from above, takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind.

The original foundation is a square, approximately 118 metres (387 ft) on each side. It has nine platforms, of which the lower six are square and the upper three are circular. The upper platform features seventy-two small stupas surrounding one large central stupa. Each stupa is bell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorative openings. Statues of the Buddha sit inside the pierced enclosures.

The design of Borobudur took the form of a step pyramid. Previously, the prehistoric Austronesian megalithic culture in Indonesia had constructed several earth mounds and stone step pyramid structures called punden berundak.

Borobudur Mandala

Borobudur ground plan taking the form of a Mandala.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto a screenshot arisguide.

The monument's three divisions symbolize the three "realms" of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kamadhatu (the world of desires), Rupadhatu (the world of forms), and finally Arupadhatu (the formless world). Ordinary sentient beings live out their lives on the lowest level, the realm of desire.

Those who have burnt out all desire for continued existence leave the world of desire and live in the world on the level of form alone: they see forms but are not drawn to them. Finally, full Buddhas go beyond even form and experience reality at its purest, most fundamental level, the formless ocean of nirvana.

The liberation from the cycle of Samsāra where the enlightened soul had no longer attached to worldly form corresponds to the concept of sunyata, the complete voidness or the nonexistence of the self. Kamadhatu is represented by the base, Rupadhatu by the five square platforms (the body), and Arupadhatu by the three circular platforms and the large topmost stupa.

Arupadhatu

The highest sphere the abode of the gods.Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto a screenshot arisguide.

The architectural features between the three stages have metaphorical differences. For instance, square and detailed decorations in the Rupadhatu disappear into plain circular platforms in the Arupadhatu to represent how the world of forms—where men are still attached with forms and names—changes into the world of  the formless.

The superstructure is clearly distinguished from the terraces. It consists of three re-entrant circular platforms, each of which supports a row of perforated stupas. Surmounting the rows of stupas, which are arranged in concentric circles, the central dome on top of the whole monument soars into the sky to a height of nearly 35 m above ground–level.

Spouts were provided at the corners 

of the mounting stages to drain off rain–water from the galleries.

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto arisguide.

Access a series of gates, a stair leads directly to the circular platforms, at the same time intersecting the corridors of the square terraces. Staircases are mounting from the lower–lying plain to the elevated plateau, and linking up with the stairways of the monument. The entrances are guarded by stone lions; other lions watch at the different levels of the pyramid–a total of 32 lion statues. Spouts were provided at the corners of the mounting stages to drain off rain–water from the galleries. The 100 spouts are carved in the shape of makaras (gargoyles).

Chandi Borobudur is built on a long natural hill, the ridge of which was levelled and converted into a plateau. The main part of the plateau forms the site of the monument. This walls on the top of the hill which had re–mained intact. The plain on the north–western spur of the hill provided the site for the monastery. The plateau is 15 m higher than  the surrounding plain, the top of the hill rises about 19 m above the plateau. It is over the top of the hill constructed. A considerable as the hill top was not sufficient to serve as the core of the structure.

The stones are made to grip 

by means of dove tails in the horizontal connections, and identations in the vertical joints. 

Source: Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto arisguide.

The building technique is used in the construction of chandis in stone. The material was not collected from quarries, but taken from neighbouring rivers. The stones were fashioned and cut to size, transported to the site, and laid without mortar. The stones are made to grip by means of dove tails in the horizontal connections, and identations in the vertical joints. The use of   a knob on one side of a stone fits into a corresponding hole in the next is frequent.

These arrangements allow a certain flexibility, so the monument stands with light movements without under going any immediate danger of collapse. When building was completed, the carvings and other embellishments were added. Normally they started from the top, but could also be added simultaneously at several parts.

Borobudur temple represents many layers of Buddhist theory, the temple is in the shape of a traditional Buddhist mandala. A mandala is central to a great deal of Buddhist and Hindu art, the basic form of mandalas is a square with four entry points, and a circular centre point.

Source: Guide Book arisguide, Guiding Technique arisguide. Guidance Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide.

Get more narration and materials about Chandi Borobudur in Barabudur atau Borobudur, Candi Buddha Pusaka Budaya Indonesia.

Reading is more fun exploring the thematic narratives, beyond travel guide its more detail in UPANAT - Wisata di Borobudur.

Reading in English is fun and also seems so interesting to translate into language that is easy and flexible, get readings in detail in Welcome to Borobudur Temple, the fabric of life in the Buddhist culture.

Explore, admire the beauty of art in pictures and photos by typing the detailed link in PHOTO IMAGE BOROBUDUR.