Borobudur Temple: The 7th Wonder Which Looks Like A Sri Chakra

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Java is home to many wonders, including its beautifully natural Kedu Valley. Little do we know of an ancient buddist monument categorized as the seventh wonder known by the name of Borobudur temple exists on a hilltop like a crown jewel fixed in the Queen's Tiara. This 9th century Mahayana Buddhist temple is exclusively dedicated to Lord Buddha located near Yogyakarta, central Java, Indonesia, built between AD 750 and 842.

The architecture has traces of Javanese style and Gupta architecture. Over 500 statues of Buddha and roughly 3,000 bas-relief sculptures are found around Borobudur. Borobudur was constructed by Shailendra dynasty between about 778 and 850 ce. Due to a volcanic explosion it got submerged under its ash and with the overgrown forest and trees until it was found by an English lieutenant governor Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple next to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Thousands of Buddhists visit Indonesia to celebrate Vesak day at this Borobudur monument. If you take an aerial view of this place and see the small reproduced version of this temple in the museum, the shape and sturcutre of this temple resembles a Hindu Meru and a Sri Yantra that is vertically represented. You can also infer that this could be a Buddhist mandala. It is open to visitors from 6 am to 5 pm daily. The site is open to the public from 6am to 5pm daily. Certain visiting charge is levied on the visitors.

Let us know about a few facts about this 7th heavenly wonder on earth.

1. In 1991, Borobudur Temple was recognized as a world heritage site as this temple showcases impossible heights of sculptural expertise with a human touch.

2. The Borobudur monument combines the stupa, the temple mountain based on Mount Meru, and the mandala.

3. It is a man-made mountain, a 3D mandala structure, that is between volcanoes, rice fields, villages and tropical jungles. Borobudur has nine platforms stacked one on top of another.

4. The temple can be described as a structure which is more of a large square step pyramid built out of andesite volcanic stone.

5. The restoration of this temple was done twice but not adequately due to the shortage of funds. First time of restoration, Buddha head statues with Buddha head missing, and several other statues dismantled, were rebuilt and the three terraces and the peack stupa were recreated. The second restoration was carried out to protect this temple. The repair project that the Indonesian government together with UNICEF has taken up costs about 7 million dollars.

6. The levels of this temple represents the wheel of life.

7. The Borobudur is shaped as a mandala which is best seen from an aerial view.

8. In 1985, a bomb blast destroyed Borobudur Temple's 9 stupas and two Buddha statues. The mastermind behind this blast was a Muslim preacher named Husein Ali Al Habsyie. Sources say that it was a religious conflict that brought about this problem.

9. It has been presumed that this temple took 75 years to complete its construction which was finally completed during the time of Samaratungga in 825 AD.

10. Some discoveries have supported the fact that the temple construction was begun in the 8th or 9th century AD

11. When in Indonesia, the hindu and Buddhist civilisations showed a rapid decline in numbers and population, around 14th or 15th century AD, it went into sheer neglect. At this time, Islam had set its foot into Indonesia.

12. Borobodur is located in an elevated place between two volcanoes and two rivers.
13. The temple has 25 floors. It is really surprising to note how the architects carried the rocks up to the 25th floor.

14. A lot of Buddha statues were decapitated by irresponsible looters. They sold the Buddha statues to antic collectors or museums. Temples were disfigured due to these illegal activities. All this occurred before it was renovated to its original shape.

15. First of all, there were regular thefts happening at this place. Apart from theft, Dutch East Indies Government was interfering with the restoration process of the temple. When Thailand king asked him permission to take several parts of this temple to his palace, the Dutch government gave it without taking permission of the locals who were unwilling to hand over.

16. Borobudur was ravaged by a volcanic eruption twice

17. The design and structure of the temple has been borrowed from Hinduism and its temples.

18. Archaeologists found colour pigments and archeologists think that the temple was painted in different colours.

19. There are 160 hidden panels in Borobudur and each provides in detail the events and occurrences like tales of gossip, murder, charity work, sanctuaries.

20. People say that there was originally a lake in the place where Borobudur stands today.

21. Borobudur receives around 2 million visitors every year. So its popularity is still at its peak. Sometimes the number of visitor reach up to 2.5 million people per year as well.

Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.