Borobudur Temple : UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the largest Buddhist monument in the world of great historical value, an 8th century Buddhist structure, lost in the jungle until its rediscovery in the 19th century.
Location
It is located in the Central Java province of Indonesia , 40 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta.
Parts of its structure
The structure is made up of two million cubic feet of stone, set on six square platforms. Each platform is decorated with sculpted friezes. Five hundred statues of Buddha are in the niches to pray.
Statues of buddha
When looking at first glance, all Buddha statues appear the same, but there are slight differences between the position of the hands.
There are 5 groups according to the position of the hands or mudras: North, East, South, West and Zenith, which represent the five cardinal points according to the Mahayana.
The first four balusters contain the first four mudras: North, East, South, and West, represented by the direction of the statue’s hands. The Buddha statues located on the fifth baluster and within the 72 stupas on the upper platforms, have the same mudra: Zenith. Each mudra represents one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas; each has its own symbolism.
- Son Abhaya mudra for Amogashiddi (north)
- Vara mudra for Ratnasambhava (south)
- Dhyana mudra for Amitābha (west)
- Bhumisparsa mudra for Aksobhya (east)
- Dharmachakra mudra for Vairocana (zenith).
About the Temple
It has many bas-reliefs, depicting scenes from the life of Buddha, and can be seen along a circular path of several kilometers that leads to the center of the temple. The path is not easy. As you go along the path you see the images of the law of Karma and the life story of Buddha. At the top there are three “stupa”, stone mounds that once had relics, the surroundings of the temple are covered with jungle , very green, with few houses or other human works.