BOROBUDUR TEMPLE

Borobudur Temple is a Buddhist temple, situated in the village of Borobudur Magelang regency, Central Java, was built by King Samaratungga, one of the kings of Old Mataram Kingdom, Dynasty dynasty descendants. The name Borobudur is a combination of words Bara and Budur. Coals from the Sanskrit means temple or monastery. While Budur derived from the word meaning beduhur above, thereby Borobudur means monastery on the hill. While according to other sources, means a mountain having terraces (budhara), while other sources said that Borobudur means monastery on the heights.

Borobudur Building punden shaped staircase consists of 10 levels, measuring 123 x 123 meters. Height of 42 meters and 34.5 meters before it was renovated after the renovation because the lowest level was used as a drag. This Buddhist temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies in the complex. Six lowest level of a square and two upper circular form, and the highest level in the form of Buddhist stupa facing to the west.

Each level represents the stages of human life. Corresponding schools of Mahayana Buddhism, every person who wants to reach the level of the Buddha should be through every level of life is.

• Kamadhatu, the base of Borobudur, symbolizing humans are still bound by lust.
• Rupadhatu, four levels on it, symbolizing human beings that have set themselves free from lust but still tied to appearance and shape. At that level, a statue of Buddha placed open.
• Arupadhatu, three levels above where the Buddhist stupa placed in the holes. It symbolizes man who had been free from lust, appearance, and shape.
• Arupa, the top that symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing. 

Each level has reliefs that will be read coherently run clockwise (towards the left of the entrance of the temple). In the reliefs of Borobudur tells of a legendary story, a variety of story content, among others, there are reliefs of the Hindu epic Ramayana, there are also reliefs Jataka stories. 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 shipping at that time centered on Bergotta (Semarang). 
 

All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect the Buddha's teachings. A Buddhist from India named Atisha, the 10th century once visited this 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 having the script of Serlingpa Buddhism (one of the King 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 doctrine called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" or better known by the name Bodhipathapradipa.

Chronology of discovery and restoration of Borobudur

• 1814 - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Governor General of the United Kingdom in Java, heard of the discovery of archaeological objects in the village of Borobudur. Raffles ordered H.C. Cornelius to investigate the discovery site, a hill covered with shrubs.
• 1873 - The first monograph published about the temple.
• 1900 - Dutch East Indies government established a committee of restoration and maintenance of the temple of Borobudur.
• 1907 - Theodoor van Erp led the restoration until 1911.
• 1926 - Borobudur restored, but stalled in 1940 due to malaise and the crisis of World War II.
• 1956 - Indonesian government requested the assistance of UNESCO. Prof. Dr. C. Coremans came to Indonesia from Belgium to investigate the causes of damage to Borobudur.
• 1963 - Indonesian government issued a decree to restore Borobudur, but the mess after the events of the G-30-S.
• 1968 - at the conference-15 in France, UNESCO agreed to provide assistance to rescue Borobudur.
• 1971 - Indonesian government established a body chaired by the restoration of Borobudur Prof.Ir.Roosseno.
• 1972 - International Consultative Committee was formed with the involvement of various countries and Roosseno as its chairman. UNESCO-sponsored committees provide 5 million U.S. dollars from the cost of 7750 million dollar restoration of the United States. The rest covered Indonesia.
• August 10, 1973 - President Soeharto inaugurated the commencement of the restoration of Borobudur; restoration was completed in 1984
• January 21, 1985 - took place a bomb attack which damaged some of the stupa at Borobudur temple which was soon restored.
• 1991 - Borobudur designated as a UNESCO World Heritage.