Borobudur Temple | Sacred travel destinations in Indonesia
Indonesia: Borobudur Temple|Sacred destinations
The Borobudur temple is one of the world’s most complex buildings and its creation is shrouded in a secret without any written records or its purpose bound forever to remain a mystery. From the distance the temple resembles a big lotus flower bud ready to bloom, effortlessly floating on a lake, a single stupa build from volcanic rock, in the form of a giant Buddhist mandala when viewed from above, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and complex nature of human mind.
The Borobudur temple was built around 750 AD by the kings of the Sailendra Dynasty about 400 years before Cambodia's Angkor Wat or European Cathedrals, possibly to enhance the image of Buddhism as Hinduism was growing in strength across the Indonesian archipelago.
The Borobudur temple structure consists of a series of open-air passageways that radiate around a cosmic axis, and ten mounting terraces corresponding to successive stages and forms Siddhartha assumed, before achieving Buddha-hood.
Surreal in its existence, seamlessly blending Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sufi-influenced mystical Islam, Borobudur is bound to cast a spell on the visitors and pilgrims. The Buddha statue in an open stupa is oriented to gaze toward the sacred volcanos.
Over 500 Buddha statues grace the temple with their presence distributed over nine stacked platforms (the number nine is mystic in Buddhism), six square, and three circulars, the top is crowned by a central dome signifying the Nirvana.
Around 16th century A.D., the Borobudur temple was left slowly to decay on its own for the reasons unknown. Volcanic eruptions deposited ash in the fertile soil, supporting the rapid growth of lush jungle, slowly engulfing temple in the tight grip of canopies. A poetic cycle of never-ending creation (Brahma), destruction (Shiva), and preservation (Vishnu).
Moving past the base of the Borobudur Temple through the four galleries, the devotee emerges onto the three upper terraces, encountering 72 stupas, each containing a three-dimensional sculpture of a Buddha enclosed within a stone latticework.
The Borobudur temple represents the ten levels of a Bodhisattva's life which one must develop to become a Buddha or an awakened one. Devotees start their journey at the base, traversing clockwise along walkways, which gradually ascend to its uppermost level, physical movement symbolizing the non-physical—or spiritual— the path of enlightenment.
The temple was re-discovered in the 19th century by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British governor of Java. Who, after hearing tales about the mystical sanctuary, hidden deep within the island, organized excavation to uncover the temple, bringing Borobudur back into the light and damaging it in the process, as the temple began to deteriorate when exposed to the elements.
Furthermore, stones were removed and used as building materials by nearby villages and Buddha heads sold to art collections around the world.
Links | Information|Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur
http://factsanddetails.com/indonesia/History_and_Religion/sub6_1a/entry-3941.html
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/one-greatest-monuments-world-who-built-it-strange-origins-borobudur-and-lost-021609
If by any chance I have omitted your website as the source of reference, please accept my apologies and please email me, so I'm able to make necessary corrections, after all, I'm just a human........
Bagan Travels | 10,000 Pagodas and Jumping Monks
Bagan | The Empire of 10,000 pagodas
Bagan is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute modern Myanmar.
Over the course of 250 years, Bagan's rulers constructed over 10,000 religious monuments (approximately 1000 stupas, 10,000 small temples and 3000 monasteries) in an area of 104 square kilometres in the Bagan plains.
The prosperous city grew in size and became a cosmopolitan centre for religious and secular studies, specializing in philosophical-psychological studies as well as works in a variety of languages, astrology, alchemy, medicine, and legal studies. The city attracted monks and students from as far as India, Ceylon as well as the Khmer Empire.
Stupas, Pagodas and Hollow Temples
A stupa is also called a pagoda, Bagan stupas evolved from earlier Pyu designs, which, in turn, were based on the stupa designs of the Andhra region. By the 11th century, the stupa had developed into a more bell-shaped form in which the parasols morphed into a series of increasingly smaller rings placed on one top of the other, rising to a point.
In contrast to the stupas, the hollow gu-style temple is a structure used for meditation, devotional worship of the Buddha and other Buddhist rituals.
The gu temples come in two basic styles: "one-face" design and "four-face" design—essentially one main entrance and four main entrances. The temples, whose main features were the pointed arches and the vaulted chamber, became larger and grander in the Bagan period.
Theravada Buddhism
The culture of Bagan was dominated by religion, which was fluid, syncretic and by later standards, unorthodox. It was largely a continuation of religious trends in the Pyu era where Theravada Buddhism co-existed with Mahayana Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, various Hindu (Saivite, and Vaishana) schools as well as native animist (nat) traditions.
About 90% of the Burmese people follow Buddhism. Central to their religious beliefs is karma, the ultimate aim in life according to Buddhist belief is to escape the cycle of rebirth and reach Nirvana, it is through the good deeds that a person will attain Nirvana.
It's customary for a male in Myanmar to enter a monastery twice in his life. Once as a novice monk, between the age of 2 and 10, and again as a fully ordained monk, around the age of 20. Some might remain a monk for just a few months, while others stay for life.
Life of a monk
Monks hold the highest status in Burmese society. Very often the young novices start their monastic life in a small village at the age of nine or ten. When they grow older they get the opportunity to go to a bigger city or religious centres.
Early in the morning the monks and novices go out carrying a bowl to get food offerings and spend the rest of their days on religious studies and chores at the monastery.
Sources | Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagan
http://baganrazagyohotel.com/index.php/history-of-bagan
http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Myanmar/sub5_5a/entry-3001.html
https://dietmartemps.com/travel-blog/monks-and-novices-in-myanmar-the-buddhism-way-of-life_512/
http://tfgtraveling.com/monks-daily-life-in-myanmar/