Borobudur Temple: A must-see place in your lifetime

Borobudur Temple: a Must-see Place in Your Lifetime | CIO Women Magazine

The daily chores and office workloads can feel quite monotonous at times. A quiet place with serene beauty and a pleasant environment can be a perfect getaway during these times. Borobudur Temple is one such place to relax. Surrounded by mountains and hills, this place is a real treat to the eyes. Every year, millions of tourists visit this place to devour the peace and beauty of it. Let us explore the place to know more about it so you can go there and enjoy its rich scenery and beautiful nature.

History of Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is in central Java near Yogyakarta. It is one of Indonesia’s most important landmarks. It is the largest Buddhist Temple in the world. Borobudur Temple was constructed in five phases. The Shailendra dynasty began the 1st phase, built the 2nd and 3rd Phases, and completed the 4th stage during their decline. Sanjaya completed the 5th stage. These two dynasties shared power for 150 years in Java, where the temple was built. During this time, many Temples and Buddhist monuments were built. The construction of Borobudur was possible because Sanjaya’s immediate successor allowed Buddhist followers to build these Temples. 

Why was Borobudur abandoned?

Borobudur Temple: a Must-see Place in Your Lifetime | CIO Women Magazine
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The Borobudur Temple was deserted for unknown reasons. King Mpu Sindhok of Mataram Kingdom moved the Capital to eastern Java after a series of volcanic eruptions. It is not so sure that this was the period of abandonment, but most sources speculate that this might be.

Rediscovery of Borobudur

The monument was rediscovered by Britain’s Governor General Stamford Raffles. On his inspection tour to Semarang village, he was informed about a massive megalith deep in the jungle near Bumisegoro. He sent a Dutch Engineer, Hermann Cornelius, to check. In two months, Cornelius and his men cut down the trees, burned down plants, and dug away the earth to reveal the monument. Raffles didn’t visit the monument by himself. He mentioned the monument in his book. He is credited with the discovery of the Borobudur Temple. 

How to reach Borobudur?

First, you have to get to Yogyakarta, which is the nearest city to Borobudur. There are flights from Bali, Jakarta, and Surabaya to Yogyakarta, so you can comfortably get there. Then, from Yogyakarta, you can take a public bus for $2 or a Minibus for $6. The journey usually takes 60-90 minutes. The entry fee to enter the temple for an adult is $25. 

Buddhas Statues

Borobudur Temple: a Must-see Place in Your Lifetime | CIO Women Magazine
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Borobudur has many statues of various Buddhas. Out of the original 503 statues, over 300 are damaged (mainly headless), and 43 are missing. Since the discovery of Borobudur, most of the Buddha’s heads were taken by museums or stolen by personal collectors. Some Buddha’s heads in Borobudur are shown in several museums, including the Karmawibangga Museum near Borobudur. 

What to do and what not to do in the temple?

  • The temple gets crowded fast. Arrive early to avoid the crowd. You could do a sunrise tour or come before the gates are open.
  • Avoid the weekend. All the corporate employees are free during the weekend, so the temple is very crowded on weekends. 
  • Don’t forget to bring snacks and water.
  • Stay in the hotels near the temple. If you stay near the temple, you can reach there early. Early visitors could enjoy a relaxed and less crowded atmosphere.

Borobudur reference in Mythology

A Javanese legend tells us that the island was freely floating in the cosmic ocean. The gods took pity on the island people and put the island in a fixed place. They took a nail and fixed it on the island’s center, making the island stationary in the ocean. The Tidar, or Bukit Paku, formed the island’s central topographical area.

The stupas in Borobudur represent Meru’s cosmic mountains, which rose from the center of the world. It was said that the slopes below the mountains were inhabited by various gods. The uppermost place of these cosmic mountains is the heavenly place of the Indra, aka king of gods. Above that place, varied layers of heaven form environments of desires. It can be said that Borobudur is not only an architectural masterpiece but also a hallmark of Buddhist faith, architectural intelligence, and cosmic mythology.

Spiritual Importance of Borobudur

Borobudur structure has three main tiers. The First is the lowermost part, which contains five concentric square terraces. The middle part consists of three circular platforms, and on the top, there is a monumental stupa. These stupas aren’t made for only aesthetics, but they were made with Spiritual technologies to harness spiritual energies. 

Borobudur Temple: a Must-see Place in Your Lifetime | CIO Women Magazine
Source – CNN

The three forms of energy that reside in these three tiers, namely Kamadhatu, Rupadhatu, and Arupadhatu are the states of spiritual enlightenment that a person is in at that time. A person in Kamadhatu delves into activities influenced by desires. A person in Rupadhatu has left the world of desires and come into the world of forms. A person goes to Arupadhatu when he leaves the form world and becomes formless when he attains nirvana. 

Conclusion

Borobudur temple is a masterpiece of architecture because it was made using ideas of stupas, a temple, and a sacred mountain. The temple was built nearly 1000 years ago, but it still possesses its aesthetics, so you can imagine what functionality and splendid design it must have. UNESCO has declared Borobudur a World Heritage site, funded its restorations, and implemented many modern resources to ensure the safety of this heritage for an extended period. If you want to explore Borobudur, you can come and have a spiritual epiphany. All the photography enthusiasts could also come to capture Borobudur’s beauty. To discover more fascinating monuments, keep visiting www.ciowomenmagazine.com.

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