Tracing the Complete History of Borobudur Temple
Ditulis pada: June 27, 2021
Borobudur Temple is one of Indonesia's proud tourist attractions. Then, do you know the complete history of Borobudur Temple? This temple is very famous not only among local tourists.
The fame of this temple has also been heard in foreign countries. This temple, which is located in Borobudur Village, Magelang City, Central Java Province, is indeed unique, mysterious, and has magical powers that surround its existence.
This is evident from the folk stories that developed in the community around the temple. Thus, since it was rediscovered by the British colonial government in 1814 and the complete excavation was completed by the Dutch East Indies government in 1835, it has made everyone seem to be competing to dig and deepen the complete history of the Borobudur temple.
Borobudur Temple is the site of a Buddhist relic of the Syailendra Dynasty. Archaeologists estimate the site was built in 800 AD. Borobudur Temple is the second largest temple in the world after the Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia. UNESCO also entered Borobudur into one of the seven wonders of the world.
The Origin of the Name Borobudur
There are several versions regarding the origin of the name Borobudur Temple. In Indonesia, every ancient religious building is called a temple.
While the origin of the name Borobudur, there are several versions as well. Some say that the name Borobudur comes from the Sanskrit language, namely "Bara" which means "monastery or temple complex" and "Beduhur" which means "high or above".
The opinion above is similar to Prof. Dr. Poerbotjoroko. According to him, the name Borobudur comes from the word "Bhoro" which means "monastery or hostel" and "Budur" which means "above".
His opinion was strengthened by Prof.'s research. Dr. WF Stutterheim discovered the meaning of Borobudur, namely "Monastery on the hill".
Another version says that the history of the name Borobudur may have come from the word "Sambharabudhara" which means "mountain slope terrace".
Meanwhile, another researcher named Prof. JG de Casparis expressed an opinion based on the Karang Tengah inscription, that Borobudur comes from the word "Bhumisambharabudhara" which means "place of worship for ancestral spirits" or in Sanskrit means "hill of the virtue of the ten levels of bodhisattva".
In addition, there are also several other etymologies, for example, the word Borobudur comes from the words "The Buddhas (Poro budho)" which due to the sound shift became "Borobudur". Or, the opinion also says that the name Bore-budur, which was later written as Borobudur, is contained in Sir Thomas Raffles's book.
Probably, it was written by Raffles in English grammar to refer to the village closest to the temple, namely Desa Bore (boro). Mostly, temples are often named after the place where they were found.
Raffles also suspected that the term "Budur" might be related to the term "Buda" in Javanese which means "ancient". However, other archaeologists think that the name "Budur" comes from the term "Bhudhara" which means mountain.
The origin of the name Borobudur itself is not very clear. The name Borobudur was first written in the book History of the Island of Java by Sir Thomas Raffles. However, no older document mentions the same name.
The only ancient Javanese manuscript that gives clues about the existence of a Buddhist holy building that might refer to Borobudur is Nagarakertagama, written by Empu Prapanca.
Construction of Borobudur Temple
And, the settlement was around 847 AD during the reign of Ratu Pramudawardhani, the daughter of King Samaratungga.
The construction of Borobudur Temple is estimated to take 50 years. Queen Pramudhawardhani also mentioned the awarding of 'Sima' or tax-free land to maintain sacred buildings to honor the ancestors. And, according to Casparis, the building was probably used by the ancestors of the Syailendra dynasty.
Indeed, information relating to the founder of the Borobudur Temple and the purpose and use of the construction of this giant building has yet to find a bright spot. This is based on the writings of Karmawibhangga.
Karmawibhangga writing is a series of letters found in inscriptions in the 8th and 9th centuries, this script is commonly used in the 8th and 9th-century royal inscriptions.
So, it is estimated that Borobudur was founded in early 800 AD. At that time, it was estimated that the peak of the glory of the Syailendra nation was also influenced by the triumph of the Sriwijaya Kingdom.
Borobudur Temple was built around the same time as the temples in Prambanan. However, it is also estimated that Borobudur Temple was completed earlier than Prambanan, around 825 AD, which is twenty-five years before the start of the construction of Prambanan Temple which was around 850 AD.
From this information, we found some data oddities related to the religion of the leaders at that time, whether they were Buddhists or Hindus. Syailendra's nation is known to be adherents of Mahayana Buddhism.
However, the Sojomerto inscription indicates, there is a possibility that the nation originally adhered to the Hindu Shiva religion. At that time, many Buddhist and Hindu temples were built in Kedu.
Perhaps, the Syailendra nation at that time was still Hindu. However, the construction of Borobudur Temple and various other Buddhist temples at that time was very possible because the heir to King Sanjaya, namely Rakai Panangkaran gave orders to the people to erect religious buildings in their kingdom.
Where King Sanjaya is a Hindu Shiva follower. In addition, to show respect for the Sangha (Buddhist community), Rakai Panangkaran gave Kalasan Village to them for the maintenance and financing of the construction of the Kalasan Temple which aims to glorify the Bodhisattwadewi Tara.
Still sourced from the Kalasan inscription in 778 AD, archaeologists have an understanding that in ancient Javanese society, religious differences were not a problem. This is illustrated in the explanation above, where a Hindu king allowed and even funded the construction of a Buddhist temple, and vice versa.
However, there is also an assumption that the two kingdoms that were in power at that time, namely the Buddhist kingdom of the Syailendra nation and the Hindu kingdom of Sanjaya were competing with each other and it was undeniable that war would break out because of this. Like the battle in 856 in the hills of Ratu Boko.
However, harmony between religious adherents is still believed by many people as shown in the construction of the Syailendra nation's Borobudur Temple and Sanjaya's Prambanan Temple. Where the Syailendra nation is also heavily involved in it, and vice versa.
This giant temple monument is a temple that depicts the universe in Buddhist teachings. Then, there are many assumptions that the function of Borobudur Temple is the same as today, namely as a holy place to glorify Buddha as well as function as a place of pilgrimage to guide mankind from the realm of worldly lust to enlightenment and wisdom according to Buddhist teachings.
Today, pilgrims enter the temple from the east side, walking across the sacred building clockwise, while continuing to advance to the next level through the three levels of the realm in Buddhist cosmology, namely Kamadhatu, Rupadhatu, and Arupadhatu.
Those are the explanations and details regarding the complete history of Borobudur Temple. Starting from the origin of the name, the period when it was built, to the purpose for which the monument was built.
