Borobudur
Borobudur, located in the Indonesian island of Java, 40 km (25mi) north-west of Yogyakarta, is a Buddhist stupa related to the Mahayana tradition, and the largest Buddhist monument on earth.
It was built between 750 and 850 CE by the Javanese rulers of the Sailendra and Sanjaya dynasties.
Structure
Borobudur was designed as a giant mandala, symbolically depicting the path of the bodhisattva from samsara to nirvana, through the story of Sudhana described in the Gandavyuha Sutra, a part of the Avatamsaka Sutra.
The stupa consist of five terraces, the first four of which contain statues of the sambhoga-kaya Buddhas of the four directions (such as Amitabha and Aksobhya), from the Mahayana pantheon. The fifth terrace exclusively represents the Buddha Vairocana, who is usually associated with the center.
The fifth terrace is topped by three circular platforms, where 72 small stupas are laid out around one large central stupa.
Throughout the stupa, the walls are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the life of the Buddha Shakyamuni and Mahayana Sutras.
Discovery
Borobudur, for centuries, lay hidden under layers of volcanic ash. It was in 1835 that the site was cleared. A restoration programme undertaken between 1973 and 1984 returned much of the complex to its former glory, and the site has since become a major center of Buddhist pilgrimage.
Borobudur has been listed by the UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites.
See also
