Wall of Karmavibhangga

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.

One of the reliefs on the hidden base. 

Illustration of cause and effect. Wall of hidden foot – Karmavibhangga. Wall of Karmawibhangga carvings on the southeast corner. Source: Guiding technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide. Foto screenshot arisguide.

Wall of the Foot Karmawibhangga

In accordance with the symbolic meaning at the foot of the temple, the reliefs that decorate the veiled Batur walls depict the law of karma. Karmawibhangga is a text that describes the teachings about karma, namely the cause and effect of good and evil actions.

The row of reliefs is not a series of stories, but each frame depicts a story that has a cause and effect relationship. This relief not only provides an illustration of human despicable actions accompanied by the punishment they will receive, but also human good deeds and rewards.

Overall, it is a depiction of human life in the cycle of birth - life - death (samsara) that never ends, and according to Buddhism, this chain will be ended on the way to perfection. Now only the southeastern part is open and can be seen by visitors. A complete photo of the Karmawibhangga relief can be seen at the Borobudur Museum on the north side of Borobudur temple.

Welcome, nice to meet you on the Borobudur tour, You will now step on and visit the splendor of 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 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 about the panel relief of Borobudur, written on text Karmawibhangga.

Welcome to Chandi Borobudur

You will now step on and visit the splendor of Chandi Borobudur which is one of the world's cultural heritage sites. 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 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, located right in the middle between the east of Chandi Borobudur and Chandi Pawon.

Karmavibhangga

The reliefs on the ‘hidden foot’ are devoted to the inevitable law of karma. The 160 panels do not relate a continous story, but each provides one complete illustration of cause and effect.

The first 117 panels show various actions producing one and the same result, while the remaining 43 demonstrate the many results that can follow fromone kind of act. Blame worthy activities, from gossip to murder, with their corresponding purgatorial punishments, and praise worthy activities, like charity and pilgrimages to sanctuaries, and their subsequent rewards, are both shown. The pains of hell and the pleasures of heaven, and scenes of daily life are represented in a full panorama of samsara, the endless cycle of birth and death, the chain of all those forms of delusional existence from which Buddhism brings release.

The encasement base of the Borobudur temple was dissembled to reveal the hidden foot, and the reliefs were photographed by Casijan Chepas in 1890. During the restoration, the foot encasement was reinstalled, covering the Karmawibhangga reliefs. Today, only the southeast corner of the hidden foot is revealed for visitors.

arisguide

It's fun on the temple trip with me.

Get more reading the 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 KEBUDAYAAN BOROBUDUR - BELAJAR DENGAN PEMANDU WISATA.

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.