Design
Borobudur
Borobudur is built as a single large stupa, and when viewed
from above takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously
representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. The foundation is a
square, approximately 118 metres (387 ft) on each side. It has nine platforms,
of which the lower six are square and the upper three are circular. The upper
platform features seventy-two small stupas surrounding one large central stupa.
Each stupa is bell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorative openings. Statues
of the Buddha sit inside the pierced enclosures.
The design of Borobudur took the form of a step pyramid.
Previously the prehistoric Austronesian megalithic culture in Indonesia had
constructed several earth mounds and stone step pyramid structures called
punden berundak as discovered in Pangguyangan, Cisolok and Gunung Padang, West
Java. The construction of stone pyramids is based on native beliefs that
mountains and high places are the abode of ancestral spirits or hyangs. The
punden berundak step pyramid is the basic design in Borobudur, believed to be
the continuation of older megalithic tradition incorporated with Mahayana
Buddhist ideas and symbolism.
The monument's three divisions symbolize the three
"realms" of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kamadhatu (the world of desires),
Rupadhatu (the world of forms), and finally Arupadhatu (the formless world).
Ordinary sentient beings live out their lives on the lowest level, the realm of
desire. Those who have burnt out all desire for continued existence leave the
world of desire and live in the world on the level of form alone: they see
forms but are not drawn to them. Finally, full Buddhas go beyond even form, and
experience reality at its purest, most fundamental level, the formless ocean of
nirvana. The liberation from the cycle of Saṃsāra where the enlightened soul
had no longer attached to worldly form is corresponds to the concept of
Śūnyatā, the complete voidness or the nonexistence of the self. Kāmadhātu is
represented by the base, Rupadhatu by the five square platforms (the body), and
Arupadhatu by the three circular platforms and the large topmost stupa. The
architectural features between three stages have metaphorical differences. For
instance, square and detailed decorations in the Rupadhatu disappear into plain
circular platforms in the Arupadhatu to represent how the world of forms—where
men are still attached with forms and names—changes into the world of the
formless.
Congregational worship in Borobudur is performed in a
walking pilgrimage. Pilgrims are guided by the system of staircases and
corridors ascending to the top platform. Each platform represents one stage of
enlightenment. The path that guides pilgrims was designed to symbolize Buddhist
cosmology.
In 1885, a hidden structure under the base was accidentally discovered.The
"hidden footing" contains reliefs, 160 of which are narratives
describing the real Kāmadhātu. The remaining reliefs are panels with short
inscriptions that apparently provide instructions for the sculptors,
illustrating the scenes to be carved. The real base is hidden by an encasement
base, the purpose of which remains a mystery. It was first thought that the
real base had to be covered to prevent a disastrous subsidence of the monument
into the hill. There is another theory that the encasement base was added
because the original hidden footing was incorrectly designed, according to
Vastu Shastra, the Indian ancient book about architecture and town planning.
Regardless of why it was commissioned, the encasement base was built with
detailed and meticulous design and with aesthetic and religious consideration.
Reff : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur
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