Date : 2 april 2022

Borobudur Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. Borobudur Temple was discovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles when Indonesia was colonized by the British.

If we visit Borobudur temple we will be presented with a very beautiful view, because this temple is located in a fairly high hilly area and surrounded by mountains, around the temple there is also a garden and a very large shopping center, so visitors can buy souvenirs. by typical Magelang to take home as souvenirs.

The air there is also quite cool because it is in a mountainous area, and if the weather is clear we can also see the majesty of Mount Merapi, one of the most active mountains in Indonesia.

This temple is very unique and its size is very large, even now it is claimed as one of the wonders of the world, and of course it is a place of pride for Indonesia because it is recognized by the world.

Temple history

Borobudur Temple is a relic of the Syailendra kingdom and most of its founders were Buddhist, this temple was founded around the 8th century during the reign of the Syailendra kingdom.

This temple is the largest temple in the world and was built to honor the kings of Syailendra. This temple also has three levels which symbolize the universe, in Buddhism the universe is divided into 3 namely:

• Kamadhatu(world of desire)

• Rupadhatu(shaped world)

• Arupadhatu(formless world)

And this temple was also abandoned when King Mpu Sindok moved the royal capital of Medang to East Java, this was done because of the enormity of the eruption of Mount Merapi and after that the temple was left buried under piles of stones and ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi.

In 1365 Mpu Prapanca wrote in the Nagarakretagama manuscript, in that text he called it the Budur temple.

• After that it was rediscovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles, when he found a carved stone and then he was sure that it was the remains of a relic called Budur.

Has undergone many renovations

This temple is more than 12 centuries old, so what we see now is not entirely from the first time this temple was discovered, this temple has undergone several renovations, which is clearly because this temple was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Merapi, an earthquake, and also the age of this building.

It is also very old, so it is only natural that this temple has suffered a lot of damage and must be renovated again.

The first renovation was carried out during the Dutch colonial period. Theodoor Van Erp was the first to carry out the renovations which were carried out from 1907 to 1911.

The function of borobudur temple in the present

If in the past this temple was used to glorify the Syailendra kings who had contributed and who had died, then at this time Borobudur also still has several functions such as:

• Historic sites

• Tourist attraction

• As a place for historical education and other knowledge

• Buddhist place of worship

Those are some of the history and beauty and majesty of the Borobudur temple building, and until now the building is still standing strong and is still often visited by tourists.

We must not simply forget the historical heritage, this is a very big discovery for mankind, because in history we learn for the future.

• Lead image from https://unsplash.com/@mykelgran