The History of Borobudur Temple

 

Borobudur Temple was officially declared a world heritage (World Heritage) by UNESCO in 1991. The history of the construction of one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world is estimated to have started since the 6th century AD by Wangsa Sailendra.



Together with Mendut and Pawon Temples, Borobudur is a place used for Waisak celebrations, a Buddhist ritual event. This opinion was recorded in Rapporten van den Oudheidkundige Dienst in Nederlandsch Indie (ROD). It is said, there are several temples with Hindu and Buddhist patterns around Borobudur Temple.



Borobudur Temple has an area of ​​8,123 hectares. Its coverage areas include the Provinces of Central Java (Magelang) and the Special Region of Yogyakarta (Kulon Progo).



J.G. de Casparis in his dissertation in 1950 explained that Borobudur was a place of worship. Based on the Karang Tengah and Tri Tepusan inscriptions, the founder of this temple was a Mataram leader who came from the Syailendra family named Samaratungga.



Based on the two inscriptions, Syailendra is a Buddhist, to be precise the Mahayana school. This is used as evidence that Borobudur Temple was used by followers of the religion pioneered by Sidharta Gautama.



Borobudur Temple Development

It is estimated that Borobudur Temple was built in 750-850 AD. In the official website of the Ministry of Education and Culture, it is written that the construction of Borobudur Temple was allegedly carried out in stages by voluntary workers who worked together for religious teaching services during the reign of the Syailendra Dynasty.



Initially, the construction of this temple was started by leveling the land and compacted it with stones. After that, a pyramid-like structure was built. However, the shape was changed again. The next step is to build a square step and then add a circular step.



After that, there was another change by adding circular steps and widening the foundation steps. The last development was carried out as an improvement. In this step, the stairs are changed, the fence is added, and the foot of the temple is widened.

Rediscovery of Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple was neglected for a long time. It is estimated that this happened because of the eruption of Mount Merapi in 1006 which caused residents around the temple to move to other areas.



The rediscovery of Borobudur Temple occurred during the Thomas Stamford Raffles era. Raffles was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Java in 1811 when the British Empire took over the territory occupied by the Dutch.



In 1814, a Dutch engineer who worked for Raffles named Hermanus Christiaan Cornelius to inspect a large building hidden somewhere not far from the confluence of the Elo and Progo Rivers.



From there, the large building was discovered to be in the form of a temple, and that was Borobudur, which after being buried for a long time was finally found again.



After Indonesia's independence, in 1955 the government asked UNESCO for help in dealing with the problem of the Borobudur Temple. Furthermore, in 1960, Borobudur was declared in a state of emergency and UNESCO was more actively involved in this conservation effort.



Efforts to save Borobudur Temple were carried out on a large scale since 1971. Until finally, UNESCO included Borobudur Temple as a World Heritage Site in 1991.