Borobudur is the biggest temple in Indonesia. Borobudur temple is located in Magelang, Central Java, in addition to being a bustling tourist attraction, is also a center of worship for Buddhists in Indonesia, especially at every celebration of Vesak. This is consistent with the meaning of its name is "monastery in the hills". Borobudur Currently established as one of the UNESCO World Heritage.
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| Borobudur Temple |
Borobudur temple is located in Magelang, Central Java, about 40 km from Yogyakarta. Borobudur has 10 levels consisting of 6 levels of a square, circular level 3 circular and a main stupa as a peak. In every level there are several stupas. Altogether there are 72 stupas in addition to the main stupa. In every stupa there is a statue of Buddha. Ten levels of Buddhist philosophy which describes the ten levels of Bodhisattva who must pass to reach the perfection of the Buddha in nirvana. This perfection symbolized by the main stupa at the top level. Borobudur structure when viewed from above form a mandala depicting the structure of Buddhist cosmology and the human way of thinking.
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| Relief |
On the four sides of the temple there is a gate and a ladder to the level above it like a pyramid. This illustrates the Buddhist philosophy that all life came from rocks. Stone later became the sand, then into plants, then into the insect, then a wild animal and pets, and the last to be human. This process is known as reincarnation. The last process is the soul and finally into nirvana. Each stage of enlightenment in this life processes based on the philosophy of Buddha depicted in the reliefs and statues throughout the Borobudur Temple.
This huge building just a giant pile of stone blocks which have a total height of 42 meters. Each stone spliced without using cement or adhesive. These stones are only connected by patterns and stacked. The base of Borobudur temple is about 118 m on each side. The stones used approximately 55,000 cubic meters. All of the stone was taken from the river around the Borobudur Temple. These stones are cut and then transported and connected with a pattern like the lego games. All without using glue or cement.
Meanwhile, relief began to be made after the completion of rocks stacked and connected. There reliefs on temple walls. Borobudur has 2670 different relief. Relief is read clockwise. This relief illustrates a story that I read it starts and ends at the gate to the east. This suggests that the main gate of Borobudur temple facing the east like most other Buddhist temples.
Vesak celebration at Borobudur
Every year on the full moon in May (or June in leap years), Buddhists in Indonesia commemorate Vesak at the Borobudur Temple. Vesak is celebrated as the day of birth, death and the time when Siddhartha Gautama obtain the highest wisdom to become the Buddha Shakyamuni. The third event is called Vesak Trisuci. Vesak ceremony centered at three Buddhist temples by walking from Mendut to Pawon and ending at Borobudur.
On the eve of Vesak, particularly during the peak moment of the full moon, Buddhists gathered around Borobudur. At that time, Borobudur is believed to be a gathering place of supernatural powers. According to belief, during Vesak, the Buddha will appear in a look at the top of a mountain in the south.
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| Vesak at Borobudur |
Today, Borobudur has become a tourist attraction which attracts many tourists both local and foreign tourists. Additionally, Borobudur has become a holy place for Buddhists in Indonesia and became the center of an annual celebration of the most important Buddhist Vesak.
Borobudur be one proof of the greatness and human intelligence has ever made in Indonesia. Borobudur become a tourist and cultural sites in Indonesia than Bali and Jakarta. After visiting Borobudur, you can also visit the nearby villages like Karanganyar which has some interesting sights.
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