Borobudur is a ninth-century Buddhist temple in Indonesia. The monument has six square platforms topped by three circular platforms. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues and a main dome on the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues inside perforated stupas. Originally, it was probably plastered white, and painted in bright colours. There must have been a substantial monastery for the monks who looked after the structure and the pilgrims.
Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist kingdoms and the Javanese conversion to Islam. There is no record of who built Borobudur or its actual purpose. There is no foundation inscription, no way of dating beyond the paleography of the workers’ inscriptions, and no further mention of the sanctuary until 1709 AD. There is also no central altar or sanctuary in this temple. Instead, the galleries that ring the structure are covered with nearly three thousand bas-relief panels carved into the stone. The point of the pilgrimage was that the stupa allowed the pilgrim to mimic a journey from base life through to enlightenment. (There are strong parallels here with the mazes found in many Christian churches and cathedrals.) Borobudur was hidden for centuries under volcanic ash and jungle growth. It is built as a single large stupa, and when viewed from above takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala.
In 1973, a plan to restore Borobudur was created.The Indonesian government and UNESCO undertook the complete renovation of the monument in a restoration project between 1975–1982. This colossal project involved around 600 people to restore the monument. Over one million stones were moved during the course of restoration, like pieces of a massive jig-saw puzzle. Thirteen hundred carved panels were taken apart and individually cleaned, cataloged and treated for preservation. After the restoration was finished, UNESCO listed Borobudur as a World Heritage Site in 1991.
Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist kingdoms and the Javanese conversion to Islam. There is no record of who built Borobudur or its actual purpose. There is no foundation inscription, no way of dating beyond the paleography of the workers’ inscriptions, and no further mention of the sanctuary until 1709 AD. There is also no central altar or sanctuary in this temple. Instead, the galleries that ring the structure are covered with nearly three thousand bas-relief panels carved into the stone. The point of the pilgrimage was that the stupa allowed the pilgrim to mimic a journey from base life through to enlightenment. (There are strong parallels here with the mazes found in many Christian churches and cathedrals.) Borobudur was hidden for centuries under volcanic ash and jungle growth. It is built as a single large stupa, and when viewed from above takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala.
In 1973, a plan to restore Borobudur was created.The Indonesian government and UNESCO undertook the complete renovation of the monument in a restoration project between 1975–1982. This colossal project involved around 600 people to restore the monument. Over one million stones were moved during the course of restoration, like pieces of a massive jig-saw puzzle. Thirteen hundred carved panels were taken apart and individually cleaned, cataloged and treated for preservation. After the restoration was finished, UNESCO listed Borobudur as a World Heritage Site in 1991.
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