Introduction
Understanding the place
Borobudur is a huge Buddhist monument of Java, organized in terraces adorned with reliefs and crowned with stūpas openwork facing volcanoes.
To be retained
- Buddhist Monument of Java
- Upstream and narrative
- Imbolic openwork stūpas
- Major international restoration
History and context
Built in the eighth and ninth centuries under the ÷airendra dynasty, the monument is then abandoned before being cleared and restored in the modern era. A large international restoration campaign is carried out in the twentieth century.
Why is this place spiritual?
The ascending path can be read as a progression from the world of desire to levels of form and then of overcoming form. The reliefs tell of the lives of Buddha and bodhisattvas, inviting to reading while walking.
What the landscape makes you feel
The circumambulation slowly reveals kilometers of sculptures before the sudden opening of the upper terraces. Perforated stūpas, mist and volcanoes create a very strong image, but the meaning also lies in the lower narrative path.
Energy, atmosphere and feelings
The Mandal organization can support concentration and contemplation. It is not proof of an energy device in the modern sense; it is first a religious and educational architecture.
Discover with respect
- Follow restrictions to protect stone.
- Do not climb on stūpas or touch statues.
- Understand the monument by its course, not only by its photogenic summit.
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