Borobudur Temple Compounds
Borobudur Mandala · Candi Borobudur
Mataram Sailendra c.780–830 CE·Central Javanese Buddhist (Sailendra/Mataram)·🇮🇩 Central Java Province, Magelang Regency, Indonesia
About
About Borobudur Temple Compounds
Mahayana Buddhist mandala-mountain (c.775–825 CE) of Sailendra/early Mataram, 34.5 m high terraced pyramid with 2,672 relief panels (longest Buddhist narrative reliefs 2.5 km) and 504 Buddha statues. Three realms: Kamadhatu square base, Rupadhatu five terraces, Arupadhatu three circular terraces with 72 perforated stupas enshrining Vairocana, abandoned then buried by Merapi ash until Raffles 1814.
Why it mattersMahayana Buddhist mandala-mountain (c.775–825 CE) of Sailendra/early Mataram, 34.5 m high terraced pyramid with 2,672 re
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Original hill vs artificial mound – was existing hill encased?
- 02Abandonment cause – Merapi eruption or shifting to east Java?
Theories
- 01Borobudur as textbook of Mahayana cosmology circumambulation 5 km path
- 02Volcanic preservation explains 1970s anastylosis engineering with 1M stones
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.775–825 under Samaratungga
- Period
- Mataram Sailendra c.780–830 CE
- Culture
- Central Javanese Buddhist (Sailendra/Mataram)
- Purpose
- Cosmological mountain mandala pilgrimage culminating in Arupadhatu nirvana
- Excavation
- Excavated
c.775–825 under Samaratungga
Initial construction
c. 1547 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
7.6080° S · 110.2040° E · 265 m · 3 mapped features
Arupadhatu upper circular terraces (72 stupas)
terrace stupaThree circular terraces with perforated stupas
7.6079° S · 110.2037° EKamadhatu hidden foot base reliefs
relief base160 hidden Lalitavistara panels at base uncovered
7.6085° S · 110.2035° EPawon and Mendut companion temples (3-colinear)
templeAssociated temples on 2.9 km axis
7.6060° S · 110.2190° E
Gallery