• Borobudur is 40km northwest of Yogyakarta or one hour by car.

• Borobudur is a ninth century Buddhist Mahayana monument in Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome is located at the center of the top platform, and is surrounded by seventy-two Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
  The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely, Kamadhatu (the world of desire); Rupadhatu (the world of forms); and Arupadhatu (the world of formless). During the journey, the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.
  Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. It was rediscovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Raffles, the British ruler of Java. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage, and once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument. It is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.
  Construction: It is likely Borobudur was founded around AD 800. This corresponds to the period between AD 760?830, the peak of the Sailendra dynasty in Central Java, when it was under the influence of the Srivijayan Empire. The construction is estimated to have taken 75 years and was completed in 825, during the reign of Srivijayan Maharaja Samaratunga. The Sailendras are known as ardent followers of Lord Buddha, although stone inscriptions found at Sojomerto suggest they were Hindus. The Buddhist monuments, including Borobudur, were erected around the same time as the Hindu Shiva Prambanan temple compound. In AD 732, king Sanjaya, the founder of the Sailendra dynasty, commissioned a Hindu Shiva lingga sanctuary to be built on the Ukir hill, only 10 km east of Borobudur. Sanjaya's immediate successor, Rakai Panangkaran, was associated with a Buddhist Kalasan temple, as shown in the Kalasan Charter dated AD 778. Anthropologists believe that religion in Java has never been a serious conflict. It was possible for a Hindu king to patronize the establishment of a Buddhist monument; or for a Buddhist king to act likewise. The official religion could take place without affecting the continuity of a dynasty and of cultural life. Source: Wikipedia

Approching to Borobudur.		Square platform is 115 m2.	Panoramic picture.
Built on a hill.	1460 narrative relief panels on corridors of platform.		Begins at base of monument
The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms.
The monument is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
A main dome is surrounded by seventy-two Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage.
The journey ascends to top through 3 levels of Buddhist cosmology, Kamadhatu (desire); Rupadhatu (forms); and Arupadhatu (formless).
Monument guides pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors.		Main dome is located at center of top platform.	中の仏像にさわると幸せになるって手を入れている人もいた
Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline
of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.
It was rediscovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Raffles, the British ruler of Java.
Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations.
The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO,
following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage, and once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument.
It is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.

2009/03/01