The History of Borobudur Temple: The Symbol of the Syailendra Dynasty That Was Buried
Borobudur Temple has a historical track record of up to tens of centuries since it was first established. This temple was once a religious monument representing the Syailendra dynasty, abandoned by the devastating eruption of Mount Merapi, until it was rediscovered and restored.
Borobudur Temple was built around the 8th and 9th centuries AD in the era of the Syailendra Dynasty, which is a follower of Mahayana Buddhism.
According to historian Peter Carey, Borobudur Temple at that time became a religious monument, as a place of contemplation which also described the journey of the Buddha, as well as a symbol of the relationship between the king and his people.
Experts estimate Borobudur temple was built in the 8th century. This estimate is based on a paleographic analysis of the inscriptions carved on the Karmawibangga relief (a relief that describes the cause and effect of good deeds) compared to the writings on other inscriptions whose dates are known.
Borobudur Temple was built using two million andesite stones originating from the river around the temple area.
The structure of the Borobudur Temple building consists of nine terraces, and a main stupa at the top. The nine terraces consist of six terraces with a square plan and three with a circular plan.
It is said that the Borobudur Temple was founded by an architect named Gunadharma, but historically this has not been known for certain.
Historian J.G. de Casparis in his dissertation published in 1950 estimated that the founder of Borobudur Temple was Smaratungga, a king who ruled in 782–812 during the Syailendra dynasty.
The construction of Borobudur took up to half a century, and was only completed during the reign of his daughter, namely Ratu Pramudawardhani.
Borobudur Temple is decorated by more than 2,500 relief panels and 504 sculptures. The central dome has 72 statues that are inside the stupa.
The architecture of the Borobudur Temple is a blend of Buddhist philosophy with the culture of the Archipelago.
The semi-spherical architectural form consists of three levels, namely Kamadhatu, which is filled with reliefs of humans filled with lust, then Rupadhatu, which depicts humans fighting their desires but still bound by worldly elements.
Meanwhile, at the third level, Arupadhatu, is no longer decorated with reliefs, as a form that is not tied to worldly elements.
Borobudur Temple also refers to the cosmology of the Archipelago, which is oriented to the mountain with a terraced punden building pattern.
Borobudur Temple was not preserved in the 10th century AD, when the center of activity moved from Central Java to East Java, due to the powerful eruption of Mount Merapi in 1006.
Various literatures mention that the existence of the Borobudur temple was only discovered by Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814, who at that time served as governor-general of Java, during the British occupation.
The UNESCO publication entitled The Restoration of Borobudur tells that Raffles sent HC Cornelius, to research the information. However, what he found was a hill overgrown with trees and shrubs.
Cornelius recruited 200 local villagers to cut down trees and get rid of bushes. The excavation took two months, but some parts could not be excavated due to the potential for collapse.
Since 1817, small-scale excavations were carried out, but the results were never recorded. In 1834, the building of the temple was seen after the resident in the Kedu area at that time, CL Hartmann cleaned it thoroughly.
