Borobudur Temple: Oldest Buddhist Temple in Indonesia

While I have been to both Jakarta and Bali, its the Borobudur Temple, the oldest buddhist temple in Indonesia, that I have invariably missed, always due to company and time constraints.
This post is part of the Wishlist Wednesday series, where I will share about the places on my travel wishlist. 

How about this itinerary for 5 days in Bali, if you want some more tranquil time in Indonesia

Claim to Fame
It’s the largest Buddhist temple in the world and the oldest Buddhist temple in Indonesia. It was built between 775-850 AD. It is also a UNESCO World heritage site. Known as Candi Borobudur, it’s a Mahayan Buddhist monument built in the Stupa and Candi architectural style.

Whereabouts (history geography)
Founded by a king of the Saliendra dynasty, it was believed to be built to honour the glory of both the Buddha and its founder, a true king Bodhisattva. The name Borobudur is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words vihara Buddha uhr, meaning the Buddhist monastery on the hill.
Although no written record exists of who built Borobudur or why it was built, research suggests this colossal temple dates back to AD 750 and AD 842 which is 300 years before Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and 400 years before conceptualization of the great European cathedrals. In the tropical Indonesian weather, a large army of workers built this temple by carving 60,000 m³ of stone.
The Borobudur temple was rediscovered in 1835, thanks to a British governor and a dutch engineer who spent 2 months to clear the jungles of Yogyakarta, in Central Java to reveal this amazing monument in its magnificent entirety.

How to reach: From Bali to Borobudur Temple
The best way and in fact the only way to travel from Bali to Borobudur Temple is to fly to Yogyakarta. The nearest large airports to reach Borobudur Temple are Yogyakarta’s Adisucipto International Airport (JOG) and Solo’s Adisumarmo International Airport (SOC), which are well connected with Bali and Jakarta and offer limited connectivity to KL and Singapore. It is possible to visit Borobudur on a day trip from Jakarta/ Bali if one rushes to it.
Yogyakarta is about 42km and 40 minutes south of Borobudur by road. Most of the route is on a well-maintained (for Indonesia) four-lane (in many places) highway and there are frequent bus services. A taxi from Yogyakarta to Borobudur is also a possibility.
The only way of getting around in Borobudur is on foot.

Best Time to Visit
If you are traveling to Bali and then planning to travel from Bali to Borobudur temple, the best time to visit is between April and October (dry season). Indonesia has basically 2 seasons – rainy and dry and the best time to visit Indonesia is the dry season.

Description of the monument
(Sources: UNESCO.org and Indonesia-tourism.com
Based on secondary research and mentioned here purely out of academic interest)

The Borobudur Temple is built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total
surface area of 2,500 m². Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha.

The single stupendously large structure of Borobudur can thus be divided into the following layers:

• The bulk of the structure consists of four square terraces connected by steep staircases. Each terrace has reliefs in two layers on both sides, recounting the story of the Buddha’s past lives and his enlightenment. The “correct” way to view the reliefs is to start from the east gate (the main entrance) and circulate clockwise.
• After the square terraces the structure suddenly opens up to reveal the final four circular terraces. Comparatively plain and unadorned, there are no more reliefs here, just several hundred domes housing half-hidden Buddha statues (many headless, some lost entirely).
• The peak of the structure is a central stupa. The two chambers inside the stupa are empty, and it is unclear whether they were empty from the beginning as a representation of nirvana, or whether they originally contained now lost statues.
• You can discover 6 different postures of buddha’s statue for bottom level to the top. They are “contact with earth”, “giving and helping”, “meditation”, “fearlesness”, “teach and learn”, “turning of the wheel of dharma”.
• The Karmawibangga reliefs on the hidden foot are devoted to the law of karma. The Lalitavistara series do not provide a complete biography of the Buddha, from the Hushita heaven and end his sermon in the Deer Park near the Benares. Jataka are stories about the Buddha before he was born as Prince Sidharta. Awadana are similar to Jataka, but the main figure is not the Boddhisatva, and the saintly deeds are attributed to other legendary persons.
• The stories are compiled in the Dvijavadana (Glorious Heavenly Acts) and theAwadana Sataka (Hundred Awadanas). The first twenty panels in the lower series of the first gallery depict, the Sudhanakumaravadana. The series of reliefs covering the wall of the second gallery is devoted to Sudhana’s tireless wanderings in search of the Highest Perfect Wisdom. The story is continued on the wall and balustrade of the third and fourth galleries. Its depiction in most of the 460 panels is based on the holy Nahayana text Gandavyuha, the concluding scenes being derived from another text, the Badracari.

Stylistically the art of Borobudur is a tributary of Indian influences (Gupta and post-Gupta styles). The walls of Borobudur are sculptured in bas-reliefs, extending over a total length of 6 km. It has been hailed as the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the world, unsurpassed in artistic merit, each scene an individual masterpiece. The narratives reliefs on the main walls read from the right to left, those on the balustrade from left to right. This was done for the purpose of the Pradaksina, the ritual circumambulation which the pilgrims make moving on the clockwise and keeping the sanctuary to the right.

What more: Beyond the monument

• Mount Merapi: It is an active volcano situated near Borobudur. Volcanic activity in the area including explosive eruptions, lava flows, lahars, hot ash, pyroclastic heat clouds and molten debris remains possible.
• Candi Mendut. A Buddhist temple that is thought to have acted as a waypoint on the road to Borobudur. It was first discovered in 1834 and holds the distinction of being the first ancient monument in the whole of Indonesia to be restored (from 1897). Some of the statues and reliefs here are of the highest quality and it is well worth a visit. Menut is notable as the start of the modern day Waisak procession. From Borubudor head back towards Muntilan on the main road for 3 km and Candi Mendut is signposted off a small left hand turn off the main road.
• Candi Pawon (Branjalan) is only 2 km from Borobudur and you cannot miss driving past it when heading back towards Muntilan and Yogyakarta. It is on a direct line with Borobudur and Mendut and is again thought to have been am ancient waypoint. This temple was restored in the early 20th century.
• Candi Ngawen is in Ngawen village just to the south of Muntilan on the main road heading towards Yogyakarta (about 15 km from Borobudur). This Buddhist temple dates from 824 AD and has some interesting wall reliefs.
• Candi Canggal dates from the 8th century and is at Gunung Wukir on the main road heading back towards Yogyakarta from Muntilan. The best landmark is the Chinese cemetery which you should look for on the right after leaving Muntilan. A road leads west (right) just after you pass this cemetery. Follow this until the end and walk the last few minutes to Candi Canggal.

I would love to hear about your travel wish list too. Take a moment to leave your comment and sharing about which place is next on your travel list.