Friday, April 29, 2011

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist Temple


Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the 9th century measuring 123 x 123 meters. Borobudur is a Buddhist cultural heritage in Indonesia, Borobudur is the name of a Buddhist temple located at Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java. The location of the temple is approximately 100 km southwest of Hyderabad and 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta. This temple was founded by the followers of Mahayana Buddhism around the year 800 AD during the reign of the dynasty dynasty. In the ethnic Chinese, this temple is also called 婆罗 浮屠 (Hanyu Pinyin: po luo fu tu) in Mandarin. 

Millions of people are yearning to visit the buildings included in this World Wonder Heritages. No wonder, for the architectural and function as a place of worship, Borobudur is attractive heart. Borobudur was built by King Samaratungga, one of the kings of Old Mataram Kingdom, Dynasty descendant dynasty. Based Kayumwungan inscription, an Indonesian named Hudaya Kandahjaya revealed that Borobudur is a place of worship was completed on 26 May 824, almost a hundred years from the time the construction. The name of Borobudur, as some people means a mountain having terraces (budhara), while the other says that Borobudur means monastery on the high ground.
Borobudur-shaped building with staircase punden consists of 10 levels. Height 42 meters before it was renovated and 34.5 meters after the renovation because the lowest level is used as a drag. Six lowest level of a square and three levels on top of a circle and one of the highest levels of Buddhist stupa facing to the west. Each level represents the stages of human life. In accordance madhhabs Mahayana Buddhism, every person who wants to reach the level as the Buddha had to through every level of life is. 


The base of Borobudur, called Kamadhatu, symbolizing human beings that are still bound by lust. Four levels above referred Rupadhatu symbolizes man who had to break free from lust but still bound manner and form. On this terrace, Buddha effigies are placed in open space. Meanwhile, three levels above where the Buddhist stupas are laid in holes called Arupadhatu, symbolizing man who has been free from lust, appearance, and shape. The top part is called Arupa symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing.
Each terrace has beautiful relief panels showing how skillful. Relief that will be read coherently when you walk in a clockwise direction (towards the left of the entrance of the temple). The relief panels tell the legendary story of Ramayana. In addition, there are relief panels describing the condition of society at that time. For example, relief of farmers' activity reflecting the advance of agriculture system and relief of sailing boat representing the advance of the voyage who was based in Bergotta (Semarang).
All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect the Buddha's teachings. Hence, this temple functions as educating the media for people who want to learn Buddhism. YogYES invites you to surround each of the narrow alleys of Borobudur for to understand the philosophy of Buddhism. Atisha, a Buddhist from India in the 10th century, had visited the temple that was built 3 centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe.
Thanks to visiting Borobudur and armed with a script from Serlingpa Buddhism (one of the king of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya), Atisha was able to develop Buddhism. He became head Vikramasila monastery and taught Tibetans of practicing Dharma. Six manuscripts of Serlingpa was condensed into a core course called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" or better known by the name Bodhipathapradipa.  One of the questions still unanswered about Borobudur is how the condition around the temple was built and why the temple was found in the buried state. Some say Borobudur initially stood surrounded by a swamp and then buried by the eruption of Merapi. Calcutta is essentially the inscription reads 'Amawa' means sea of ​​milk. The word is then interpreted as lava of Merapi. Some other says that Borobudur buried by cold lava of Merapi.

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