Central Java is one of provinces in Java that have a lot of historic heritages. In the ancient time, there were many Buddhist and Hindu kingdom in this region. From all the historical remains from the Buddha Dynasti in Central Java, the most important heritage is in a form of the largest Buddhist temple of the world: Borobudur Temple Compounds. This place is really worth visiting, especially if you have a trip with your family. You and your family will be amazed by the beauty of the ancient civilization.
The history
The exact date of the Borobudur construction is not known, but the historians estimated that Borobudur Temple Compound was completed during the reign of king Samaratungga from Syailendra Dynasty. It is also believed that the temple was built during the reign of Rakai Panangkaran, the second king of Sanjaya Dynasty, a Hindu Dynasty. It is believed that the two dynasties were coexist without any serious conflict. It is believed that Rakai Panangkaran gave permission to Buddhist people to build temples and to show his respect to the Buddhist; he even gave the village of Kalasan to Buddhist community. Other than Borobudur temple compounds, there were some other temples also constructed during the reign of the two dynasties, such as Mendut Temple and Pawon Temple. The three temples were built on the straight line, thus creating the Borobudur temple compounds.
Borobudur Temple Compounds- The Architecture
The biggest temple of the compounds, Borobudur, has five square terraces, three circular platforms, and a big stupa on the top. From the base to the top, the building can be divided into three parts, the Kamadhatu, Rupadatu, and Arupadatu. The three divisions of the building represent the three realms in Buddha cosmology.
The Temples
The Kamadatu is the realm of desire, the realm where human is bounded by the desires. The next realm is Rupadhatu, the realm of form. In this stage, human is no longer bounded by the desires, but by forms and name. The Kamadhatu and Arupadhatu are richly decorated with many reliefs on their walls,depicting the lives of the previous Buddha known as Jataka. The top realm is Arupadhatu, the realm of formless, where name and form are no longer exist. Unlike the previous two stages, Arupadhatu has no relief on its wall. The top stupa does not have the Buddha statue in it, indicating the formless realms. These divisions of the Borobudur Temple also show the human journey to achieve the eternity. Someone should leave the desires, forms and name in order to achieve eternity with Buddha in Nirvana.
The smaller temples, Mendut and Pawon, located near to the Borobudur Temple. Mendut temple is richly decorated by relief from the story of Panca Tantra, a set of fable stories that originated from India. In the main chamber, there are three statues, The Buddha with two of his discipline, Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani.
Candi pawon is the third temple of Borobudur Temple Compounds. This smaller temple has no statue inside, but from the remains, can be concluded that previously there was a statue inside the temple. In the outer sides of the temple there were some relief, such as Kuwera (the Gods of Wealth), Kinara (half bird and human), and the tree of life (Kalpataru).
As the the Borobudur temple compounds is really rich with history, this place would be a perfect place for you and your family to learn about the ancient civilization of Central Java. Not only will the great building and history amaze you, the nature will also spoil you with its beauty. If you are visiting Indonesia, you have to make family trips to explore Borobudur. This place offers you a unique experience that you will never find in any other places in the world.