The borobudur tample was built in the year 760 by the buddhist king Samara Tungga. Taking about 70 years to complete. The temple was constructed by the work of farmers and labourers . At this time the javanese society was so prosperous that they were able to constuct such a great tample. The building of the temple did not proceed in a continuous way. At one time. Thousands of people worked hauling adn carving stone blocks . at other times. Only hundreds were emplyed to refine the statues and reliefs . and at certain times, work stopped completely.
Borobudur
is abhuge monument which consists of a series of terraces of decreasing sizes
ending to a central peak. The beautiful reliefs covered a total area of 1900
squre metres carved in 1460 stone panels.
Around the monument are 504 buddha statues which are made from solid volcanic
rock. There are four terraces. Galleries as they are called, plus an addition
of one hidden foot. The first gallery contains four series of reliefs , while
each of the second , third. And fourth gallery contains two series of reliefs. A
visitor of the monument. Who wants to see all the reliefs in the correct order,
must walk around the temple ten times, covering a total distance of about five
kilometres. Leaving the fourth gallery, visitors find three round terraces, also
deceasing in sizes, where there are 32 stupas on the lowest, 24 on the middle,
and 16on the bighest, visitors who peer into the supas can see a buddha statue
inside. Finally, at the highest point if the monument, in the centre of the
structurem stands a huge stupa which measures about 16 metres in diametre.
One of the important aspects of
borobudur is that the monumentis represented by a mandal. A mandala is a
pattern of perfection. The shapes can be
triangles, rectangles, diamonds, and circles. The mandala is made to symbolize
certain aspects of life. The outer borderof the diagram is a square mandala,
symbolizing life that is not perfect. The further the patterns go into the
diagram , the more round the mandalas are.
The diagram finally ends in a perfect circle which symbolizes perfection
of life.
Borobudur is one of the best pre-served
ancient monuments in the worls, and one of the most popular. Every year,
millions of people who come from various ethnics and religions visit the site
and appreciate the beauty and grandeur of the temple. Many of them leave the
temple with unforgettable memories taht they have visited the great monument. Many
others come home with a plus vlaue that they have learned about some important
aspects of life.
Source
: Book of functional English for Senior High School
