BOROBUDUR - a true Wonder

One of the benefits of living in an industrial suburb of a small town in Indonesia was the opportunity we got to visit some very exotic sites , scattered around Central Java. One of them was BOROBUDUR.

The data about Borobudur :

A World Heritage Site .
The Largest Buddhist Stupa in the world.
" The Temple With No Inside".

Built between 740 and 852 AD ( the precise years  as given by Britannica)  during the reign of King Samaratungga of  Shailendra Dynasty. Seismic activity ( or a war or cultural shift) caused  total  abandonment in around 950 AD ; swallowed by jungle and forgotten till 1814 when Stanford Raffles rediscovered the humongous rubble. Painstaking, continuous restoration by various nationalities ....
Opened for pilgrimage and tourism in 1973.

The monument is built like a stone ( lava-rock) cladding over a natural hill ( hence, "no Inside") in Central Java, not very far from the holy volcano Merapi. It is 9 tiered,(six of them square and three, circular) with stairways to ascend to each tier or terrace. It is surrounded by tropical forests , encircled by mountain ranges.

Pilgrimage consists of climbing up, level by level, doing circumambulation in each terrace. The walls of the terraces are encrusted with prodigious bas relief panels ( close to 1500 panels , extending over a total of 2 km. in all) illustrating Buddhist mythology from Karmavibhanga, Lalitavistara,Jataka,Avadana Sataka , Gandhavyuha etc .

Buddhas, Buddhas and more Buddhas are scattered all over the rampart walls , balustrades and alcoves.

The pyramidal structure is a representation of the Buddhist concept of Cosmos. The nine tiers are divided into Three Divisions representing the threefold progressive journey to The Ultimate Goal through Kamadhatu ( World of Desires), Rupa Dhatu ( World of Forms) and Arupadhatu ( The Formless World).

The pinnacle is single large stupa , the top point being 35 meters from ground level. The last three circular terraces have 72 large Buddhas sitting inside the unique , perforated bell shaped stupas. All are different, with different mudras. One Buddha is left open now, for pilgrims to touch and gain Merit.

An aerial view of the architecture  is said to show  that the shape of the shrine  resembles a "Mandala" or "Yantra".

The name  Borobudur does not have any precise meaning as it is not the traditional name for it in the local language . Since it was an abandoned ruin , it would not have had a name . Since it was first mentioned by Stamford Raffles , soon after the discovery of the ruins , one can assume the name was his corruption of some local words that would mean "mound" or "old". 

My impression :

There's a word in English : "Breath taking". I experienced the import of the word fully in Borobudur.
To begin with, its sheer immensity is overwhelming. It looks like some fairy tale mountain.

The first time I saw it, it was early morning . The misty, surreal, golden dawn light transformed it into an ethereal vision, an unbelievable dream rising from the lush jungles and resonating with birdsong , while all those silent, self-absorbed Buddhas surveyed the shimmering horizon with beatific calm.......Pure enchantment !

Each individual figure in the panels is invested with a distinct characteristic and expression. No detail too negligible for the diligent sculptors. The painstaking labour of those ancient artisans must have been repeated by modern conservation workers who had to number and index all the discovered rubble , clean each bit carefully and then put them all together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Ascending, tier by tier, one can really feel the spirit being lifted to higher planes !

As I said, a Breathtaking Experience ! I consider myself very fortunate to have experienced the magic of Borobudur.
A repeat visit , sometime , always in the  bucket-list. 

Just imagining the state of mind of that first explorer who caught sight of the magnificent ruin emerging out of the thick jungle growth ! If there be Magic , that was it ! 

______________________

EPILOGUE :

31 years after that above visit , a revisit ! 

The gigantic stupa is just as awe inspiring as it ever was. But so much has changed all around it . Now its no longer  an easy "Buy ticket , go climb " .

 For one thing , the entrance to the Archeological Park is  situated so far from the Stupa that one has to take the ticketed transport provided by the Park - a bus or a golfcart or a horse carriage from the counter to the Stupa. ( This ticket includes a bottle of water) . The long ride loops through a green , wooded  park to reach the drop off point . From there,  a short walk to the Stupa. 

 The tickets for the Stupa have also become complicated . To minimise stress , caused by crowding , to the ancient stones , two kinds of tickets are offered . 

One  called "Ground" gives access only to the yard ! You can go around it , get your selfies and head home . Good enough for people who just want to check boxes  . The other one called "Structure" allows you to climb up  and explore all levels except the very last . This latter ticket  includes a group Guide and a pair of soft , palm leaf woven slippers to wear for going up the stupa.

 Finer divisions still : You can go up only in a group of 10 -12 , herded by the Guide , only at the time stipulated in the ticket , and remain on the stupa for only an hour and a half. The Guide gives a very detailed dissertation of  any one important  Bas Relief panel and lets his group wander around on their own , but within prescribed limits. So , depending on which Relief is discussed the ticket is termed "Mahakarya" or  "Dharma" , You are allowed to climb up one way and climb down the other . Tickets are barcoded and read both at entry and exit to ensure no one overstays his permit.  All this rigamarole somewhat kills the effect . 

To add to the woes , entry and exit points of the whole Park can be reached only by walking through a maze of very noisy souvenir and food stalls. 

Mornings and evening slots are best , else the heat can be oppressive, though the entire park is wooded and covered in manicured grass. 

As always , tickets for Foreigner  are very expensive. 

A lot of hotels and cafes have sprung up on the summits and hill slopes surrounding the Stupa , offering Sunset /Sunrise views with Breakfast/dinner . 

Learnt that you can pay ( a ransom , of course) to have the Stupa illuminated by flood lights for your special occassions . And the vast grounds around the stupa , where constructions are banned , are rented out for functions and social gatherings by the Govt body . 

Now there is a nice Archeological  Museum in the Park and a themed one highlighting  " The Cinnamon Route" - a study involving panels illustrating sea faring during Shailendra times . 

160 Panels  called Karmawibangga, , showing human vices and the Karma they reap, which were discovered  hidden by stone blocks supporting the base of the Stupa are highlighted in a section of the Archeo Museum , which is a good initiative because  only a very few  of these can actually be seen still exposed in the stupa base. 

Weekends and  holidays are best avoided . There's a curious habit among  local high school children who visit these places for school excursions. They waylay foreigners and request time for holding  conversations in English ! Apparently , its  for improving their language skills. They are so sweet and so polite, you just cannot brush them away , you end up making inane small talk under the blazing sun !

______________________