Borobudur Temple Compounds

Borobudur Temple Compounds is the World Heritage designation of the area of three Buddhist temples in Central Java, Indonesia. It comprises Borobudur, Mendut, and Pawon. The temples were built during the Shailendra dynasty around the 8th and 9th centuries CE, and fall on a straight line.

Borobudur Temple Compounds
Native name
Indonesian: Kompleks Candi Borobudur
Borobudur Northwest View
LocationMagelang, Central Java
Coordinates7.608°S 110.204°E / -7.608; 110.204
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, vi
Designated1991 (15th session)
Reference no.592
State Party Indonesia
RegionSoutheast Asia
IncludesBorobudur
Mendut
Pawon
Location within Java
Borobudur Temple Compounds (Indonesia)

Approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Yogyakarta, Borobudur sits on a plateau between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. According to local myth, the area known as Kedu Plain is a Javanese sacred place and has been dubbed 'the garden of Java' due to its high agricultural fertility.[1]

Alignment
Three temples – Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut – fall on a straight line

During restoration in the early 20th century, it was discovered that three Buddhist temples in the region, Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut, fall on a straight line.[2] This may be coincidence, but is in agreement with a native folk tale that there was an ancient brick road from Borobudur to Mendut with walls on both sides. The three temples have similar architecture and ornamentation, which suggests a ritual relationship between them to form a sacred unity, although the exact ritual process is unknown.[3]

Museums

There are two museums within Borobudur Temple Compounds, Karmawibhangga Museum and Samudra Raksa Museum.

  • Borobudur Temple
  • Mendut Temple
  • Pawon Temple
  • Detail on wall

Other archaeological sites
View of Borobudur Temple Compounds
Borobudur Temple Compounds

Other Buddhist temples and Hindu temples are scattered in the area. The earliest is Gunung Wukir or Canggal Hindu temple dated 732 CE. According to an Canggal inscription discovered in the temple complex, the Shivaite King Sanjaya commissioned a Shivalinga sanctuary to be built on the Wukir hill, only 10 km (6 mi) east of Borobudur.[4]

Ngawen temple is found to the east of Mendut temple.

The ruin of Banon temple, a Hindu temple, is several hundred meters north of Pawon temple. It could not be reconstructed because many stones are missing, but several stone statues of Hindu gods were found in good condition. Those of Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva and Ganesha are now at the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.

See also

Notes
  1. Soekmono (1976), page 1.
  2. N. J. Krom (1927). Borobudur, Archaeological Description. The Hague: Nijhoff. Archived from the original on 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  3. J. L. Moens (1951). "Barabudur, Mendut en Pawon en hun onderlinge samenhang (Barabudur, Mendut and Pawon and their mutual relationship)" (PDF). Tijdschrift voor de Indische Taai-, Land- en Volkenkunde. Het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen: 326–386. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-10. trans. by Mark Long
  4. W. J. van der Meulen (1977). "In Search of "Ho-Ling"". Indonesia. 23: 87–112. doi:10.2307/3350886.
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