The Borobudur Temple is considered by many as one of the wonders of the ancient world. We have all probably heard raves for its majestic landscapes at the break of dawn, the timeless beauty of its reliefs, or physical challenge "spiritually rewarding" to reach its summit.
standing 13 centuries, the largest Buddhist monument in the world is bound to have mysteries. It is rather difficult to understand its construction 100 years in the 8th and 9th centuries, these perfect structures produced with this simple technology. Nobody knows who ordered the construction of Borobudur, although tradition attributes to Syailendra dynasty, which probably meant two to three kings whose Samaratungga. And outside of the obvious religious function of the temple, researchers have long hypothesized surprising alternative functions.
Professor Agus Aris Munandar, an Indonesian University archaeologist who studied the Javanese temples for 30 years, confirms that there are many unsolved mysteries of Borobudur. Some of them show how smart mindbogglingly old Indonesians.
"There is so much finesse in Borobudur the early Dutch archaeologists refused to believe that the Javanese people did. It must have been the Indians who came to Java to spread Hinduism and Buddhism," he said Professor Agus. "But the Indians [polymath] Rabindranath Thakur visited Java in the early 20th century and said:" I see India throughout Java, but I do not know where, "which means that as long as there has strong Indian influences in the Javanese temples, they are also very different from those of the Indians.
According to Agus professor, one of the greatest mysteries of Borobudur is the hidden base, also known as Mahakarmavibhanga. Hundreds of beautifully carved relief panels are completely covered a few meters underground, except for a section in the southeast, the Japanese blew up in the 1940s by curiosity. Previously, Dutch archaeologists had unearthed for research and re-covered it.
There are two theories as to why the Mahakarmavibhanga is buried. "The first theory holds that when the construction of Borobudur was completed, the foundation became unstable. So to avoid collapse, builders had to fix the bases from all directions," said Professor Agus, adding that this is the theory that supports
the second theory speculates religious reasons the Mahakarmavibhanga depicts despicable human acts such as torture, decapitation, theft and begging -.. thus deemed inappropriate for the eyes secular. "But violence is only a small percentage of these reliefs, so I do not think it makes sense to cover the why," said Dr. Agus.
Borobudur can be divided into three levels from the bottom up: Kamadhatu (realm of ordinary people desire fulfilled) Rupadhatu (life on earth where the soul was purged of all desires), and Arupadhatu (the departure of the soul body and unite with the gods in Nirvana). Which brings us to another wonder :. Stupas holes at Arupadhatu and superstition that affects the Buddha through the holes make dreams
"Buddhist scholars philosophize form the shadows. Only Buddha shadows are visible, because the Buddha exists in a another area, as a relic housed in a stupa, "said Professor Agus. "Similarly, no one can see relics of Buddha on Borobudur protected, except for its strange shadows under sunlight or full moon."
Prof Agus is perhaps best known for research on proxemics relief panels of Borobudur. In communication sciences, proxemics is the personal space between individuals, indicating the level of privacy. In Borobudur, proxemics refers to the distance and the most comfortable angles to perceive each panel in its entirety and understand their message. The greater the distance required to reach this goal, more spiritual level (ie "closer" to Buddha) of the public to which the panel is intended.
"It took us 10 expeditions to fully decode Borobudur," said Professor Agus. "Buddhist scriptures come to refer to the 10 stages of Bodhisattva. I do not think this is a coincidence that Borobudur is designed as such that it would take 10 times to find his" path of enlightenment. "
. while we're on proxemics, note that the inter-stupa distances are unequal, however, on a plan view map of Borobudur stupas look positioned ordered Prof Agus said that Borobudur is supposed to look like a mandala -.. a circle meditation developed in a square, with symbols strategically coordinated gods to create harmonious patterns
This phenomenon has been studied by Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) team archaeoastronomy s'. According to astrophysicist ITB Evan Irawan Akbar , uneven spaces stupas were supposed to mark the length of the shadow of a gnomon during different times of the year. in other words, Borobudur is a giant sundial. Except that if this hypothesis were true, the gnomon that casts the shadow of the sundial is missing, and its dimensions are unknown.
Prof Agus said that former Indian stupas were often CHATRAS (umbrella-like structures) and yasthis (pillars on which are erected Chatras). A yasthi disappeared today could function as a sundial gnomon for this hypothetical Borobudur, he said. In the 19th century, the Dutch established a gnomon on the top of Borobudur, but withdrew after being struck by lightning. The population has never liked anyway, and based on an unproven hypothesis gave the Dutch no strong reason to keep him there.
Nevertheless, Borobudur may have served as an ancient astronomical observatory. A study of 1930 Dutch ethnoarchaeologist J.L.A. Brandes found that the 8 century Javanese mastered astronomy, which dictated agricultural and marine practices. archaeoastronomers ITB also noted the importance of celestial orientation in Borobudur construction.
Due to the rotation of the earth and pumping on its axis, the stars visible from the sky from the North Pole changes every two centuries. "When Borobudur was built, Polaris was visible from Java. Gunadharma (architect traditionally credited to Borobudur construction) ascend Mount Menoreh and educate its builders aligned the building with the star "true north," which moves neither is nor west, "said Evan. Nevertheless, the North today on the magnetic compass is north of Borobudur at the time because he was affected by the rotation of the earth.
Another astronomical curiosity Borobudur ships reliefs on the east. They represent a double canoe sailed under celestial objects, presumably commemmorating a trip to Africa. At the time, the ancient Indonesians have crossed an ocean unmapped without compass, based solely on the stars for navigation. In 03-04, a wooden replica of the ship sailed Borobudur Jakarta Cinnamon Road in Accra (Ghana) to demonstrate the commercial ties trans-Indian Ocean old Indonesians favored with older Africans. Now housed in the Museum Samudra Raksa in the northern part of Borobudur Archaeological Park, the ship is a testimony of the Indonesian maritime millennia and astronomical genius.
The puzzles Borobudur are still many. Some are scientifically plausible, as the likeness of the temple to a floating lotus in a former now dried lake basin. Others are legendary, such as the urban legend that Gunadharma slept on Mount Menoreh and became the giant-shaped mountain asleep now visible Borobudur. The researchers are not the answers. But perhaps it is these enigmas that continue to attract people to Borobudur with fear. They are called mysteries for a reason.
Candi Borobudur
Taman Arkeologi Borobudur
Desa Borobudur, Kecamatan Borobudur
Magelang, Jawa Tengah
Tel +62 293 788 266
Fax +62 293 788 132
Tickets @ Rp30.000 for Indonesian citizens, US $ 20 for foreigners
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