Borobudur

Borobudur is the famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located in central Java, Indonesia. It was 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 which is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha.

Borobudur is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. Founded by a king of the Saliendra dynasty, it was 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, meaning the Buddhist monastery on the hill.

The art of Borobudur is a tributary of Indian influences (Gupta and post-Gupta styles). From my research, Gupta was an ancient Indian empire, which existed from approximately 320 to 550 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent, the word Gupta also have the meaning of "secret" or "hidden".

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 has 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.

According to my research, there is a young merchant's son as he travels the world in search of wisdom. During his many journeys, the young man Sudhana encounters a total of fifty-five spiritual teachers who share their spiritual knowledge and experiences with the young man. He serves as the reflecting image for revealing the pure Buddha nature that is inherent in all beings, which might otherwise remain hidden behind layers of self-doubt and delusion as well as the ever-present "now" as opposed to the past that is reflected in the reliefs pertaining to the Buddha as a historical personage. By mirroring the aspirations of the celebrants who once traveled down the gallery pathways, Sudhana reveals the potential for goodness that exists within each and every human being.

Borobudur seem to be a very special building, for a buddhist, i think should go and visit at least once in a life time, and as a graphic designer that work in a design field, we can visit there and understand how is the structure of the building and also can get new idea base on the great building!

Low Thin Thin
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