Site: Borobudur Temple Compounds
Location: Indonesia
Year Designated: 1991
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (i)(ii)(vi)
Reason:
Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist monument and a priceless
ancient center for pilgrimage and education in Mahayana Buddhism.
* * *
The
world’s largest Buddhist monument draws pilgrims from around Southeast
Asia to a remote hilltop in central Java, surrounded by lush green
vegetation and ringed by volcanoes—one of which remains active.
Some
1,200 years ago builders carted two million stones from local rivers
and streams and fit them tightly together without the aid of mortar to
create a 95-foot-high (29-meter-high) step pyramid. More than 500 Buddha
statues are perched around the temple. Its lower terraces include a
balustrade that blocks out views of the outside world and replaces them
with nearly 3,000 bas-relief sculptures illustrating the life and
teachings of the Buddha. Together they make up the greatest assemblage
of such Buddhist sculpture in the world.
Climbing
Borobudur is a pilgrimage in itself, meant to be experienced physically
and spiritually according to the tenets of Mahayana Buddhism. As the
faithful climb upward from level to level, they are guided by the
stories and wisdom of the bas-reliefs from one symbolic plane of
consciousness to the next, higher level on the journey to enlightenment.
Borobudur
was constructed in the eight and ninth centuries during the golden era
of the Sailendra dynasty, which held sway on Java and neighboring
Sumatra. This ruling clan came from South India or Indochina and helped
to establish Java as a center of Buddhist scholarship and worship.
The
magnificent site drew pilgrims for hundreds of years—Chinese coins and
ceramics found there suggest that the practice continued until the 15th
century. (In fact it has been revived today.)
But
Borobudur was mysteriously abandoned by the 1500s, when the center of
Javan life shifted to the East and Islam arrived on the island in the
13th and 14th centuries. Eruptions deposited volcanic ash on the site
and the lush vegetation of Java took root on the largely forgotten site.
In
the early 19th century Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, British governor of
Java, heard of the site and took an interest in having it excavated.
While this process revealed Borobudur’s treasures it also triggered a
process of decay by exposing them to the elements. Villagers liberated
stones for building materials, and collectors removed Buddha heads and
other treasures for private and public collections around the world.
Fortunately,
the decline of Borobudur was arrested by tighter regulations and one of
the most ambitious international preservation projects ever attempted.
The “Save Borobudur” campaign was launched in 1968 through the
government of Indonesia and UNESCO.
The massive
monument’s lower terraces were dismantled and their priceless relief
panels were cleaned and treated against weathering. During this process
an extensive drainage system was put in place to prevent the erosion
that had taken such a toll on the temple. Over eight years a million
stones were removed and later reassembled.
The result is that Borobudur remains today what it was 1,200 years ago—a unique treasure to rival any site in Southeast Asia.
How to Get There
Borobudur
is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Yogyakarta, where many day-trip
tours can be booked. Those wishing to visit independently, or stay in
Borobudur village outside the park entrance, can travel to the site by
bus or taxi.
When to Visit
Though
Borobudur teaches Buddhists to look inward, there are fantastic views
from the temple over green fields and trees to distant hills and
volcanoes—including active Merapi. Sunrise and sunset are particularly
special times to be at the site. Weekends tend to be especially crowded.
