Past Efforts 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.

Head from a Borobudur Buddha statue. 

Since the monument’s discovery, heads have been acquired as collector's items, mostly by Western museums. Some of these Buddha heads are now displayed in numbers of museums.

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

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.

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.

Tourism

Sukarno took Nehru to visit Borobudur in June 1950.

Chandi Borobudur is one of a world cultural heritage site or World Heritage Site, a sacred Buddhist temple. 

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

The aesthetic and technical mastery of Borobudur, and its sheer size, has evoked the sense of grandeur and pride for Indonesians. Borobudur has become a powerful symbol for Indonesia — to testify for its past greatness Sukarno made a point of showing the site to foreign dignitaries. While Suharto regime —realized its important symbolic and economic meanings — diligently embarked on a massive project to restore the monument with the help from UNESCO.

Many museums in Indonesia contain a scale model replica of Borobudur. The monument has become an icon, grouped with the wayang puppet play and gamelan music into a vague classical Javanese past from which Indonesians are to draw inspiration. Several archaeological relics taken from Borobudur or its replica, has been displayed in some museums in Indonesia and abroad.

Other than Karmawibhangga Museum within Borobudur temple ground, some museums boast to host relics of Borobudur, such as Indonesian National Museum in Jakarta, Trope museum in Amsterdam, British Museum in London, and Thai National Museum in Bangkok. Louvre museum in Paris, Malaysian National Museum in Kuala Lumpur, and Museum of World Religions in Taipei also displayed the replica of Borobudur. The monument has drawn global attention to the classical Buddhist civilization of ancient Java.

In 1934, Narada Thera, a missionary monk from Sri Lanka, visited Indonesia for the first time as part of his journey to spread the Dharma in Southeast Asia. This opportunity was used by a few local Buddhists to revive Buddhism in Indonesia. A bodhi tree planting ceremony was held in Southeastern side of Borobudur on 10 March1934 under the blessing of Narada Thera, and some Upasakas were ordained as monks. Once a year, thousands of Buddhists from Indonesia and neighboring countries flock to Borobudur to commemorate national Vesak ceremony.

The emblem of Central Java province and Magelang Regency bears the image of Borobudur. It has became the symbol of Central Java, and also Indonesia on a wider scale. Borobudur has became the name of several establishments and several Indonesian featured in Rupiah banknote, stamps, and numbers of books documentaries and Indonesian tourism promotion materials.

Borobudur's trip with tour guide

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

Tourism on Borobudur

In 1974, 260,000 tourists, of whom 36,000 were foreigners, visited the monument. The figure climbed to 2.5 million visitors annually (80% were domestic tourists) in the mid-1990s, before the country's economic crisis. International tourism awards were given to Borobudur archaeological park, such as PATA Grand Pacific Award 2004, PATA Gold Award Winner 2011, and PATA Gold Award Winner 2012.

In June 2012, Borobudur was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest Buddhist archaeological site.

Chandi Borobudur

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

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.