Borobudur is a significant place of worship for Buddhists considered as one of the Beautiful Temples. It is but one of the most famous heritage sites. As the form of harmony in attaining the aesthetics of Buddhist structure, Borobudur temple is much prominent today all over the planet. This site perpetually becomes a record that is mandatory for almost virtually any foreigners that visit Indonesia. And for Indonesians, you should be familiar with this particular temple. You will need to find the reality of Borobudur temple below.
- Constructed Without Any Sophisticated Tools during 23 Years
Currently, a 25-floor construction could be constructed for a year using modern equipment. Borobudur temple’s magnitude is just like construction. There’s no bulldozer to level the floor when building Borobudur. No trucks carry rocks. There is not any crane to hoist up the stone.
All work is performed with simple tools such as levers and hammers. What’s more interesting, the builders transported the materials by the single-vehicle known as ‘pedati’ cart, which was pulled by a cow. You could imagine how vast and big stones ought to be picked. It is directed one by one until a Borobudur temple is formed by it. That is it needed to build Borobudur Temple.
- Created without Cement Adhesive
For people who were visited with Borobudur, you must know very well the Borobudur temple has been constructed without the use of any adhesive. Borobudur Temple is composed of rock blocks. Each piece of rock is arranged without the use of glue or cement. These stones are just piled and spliced with specific patterns to bind every other (Interlock). It is awe-inspiring because this temple can last a long time.
- It Has 2672 Reliefs
The fact is that the Borobudur temple has 2672 relief panels. Hence if these panels are laid out parallel they are up to 6 kilometres long. It is hailed as the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs on earth. In art’s worth, reliefs in Borobudur temple can be categorized just as noble.
Relief carved onto the walls of this temple is divided into Jataka, namely Karmawibhangga, Lalita Wistara, four major stories and Awadana, and Gandavyuha. They are primarily told about the values and the Buddha’s life journey. The reliefs also listed the progress of Javanese culture at that moment.
- Built on a Special Area
Borobudur is situated in a tactical and comfortable place. The Buddha temple is located one of two hills of Mount Merapi and Sindoro Merbabu along with Sumbing Mountain. Menoreh Mountains require a role to maintain’ Borobudur Temple. Additionally, there are two lakes, Elo and Progo at the Borobudur Temple. It is quite amazing, right?
- The Largest Buddhist Temple on Earth
Borobudur temple is listed as Buddhist temple in the world’s largest archaeological site, with an area of 15,129 square meters, 42 meters high with ten levels, a realistic span greater than 1 km, and consists of 72 stupas. Moreover, the Borobudur Temple is also listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.
- The Name of Borobudur Remains as A Mystery until Nowadays
Many specialists try to translate the significance of the title Borobudur. Raffles defines Borobudur in three variations of the name, namely Borobudur meaning that the Good Buddha (Boro = Great, Budur = Buddha), ancient location (Boro = area name, Budur = ancient), also (Boro = Many, Buddur = Buddha). Sadly, the title of Borobudur remains not certain.
Those are some interesting facts about Borobudur temple that many people don’t know. Hopefully, the information above can add your insight into Indonesian culture, especially the Borobudur Temple.
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