The Sailendra dynasty built the largest Buddhist relic in the world between 780-840 AD. The Sailendra dynasty was the ruling dynasty at that time. This relic was built as a place of Buddhist worship and a place of pilgrimage. This place contains instructions for humans to distance themselves from worldly desires and move towards enlightenment and wisdom according to Buddha. This relic was discovered by British troops in 1814 under the leadership of Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles. The temple area was completely cleaned in 1835. Borobudur was built in the Mandala style which reflects the universe in Buddhist belief. The structure of this building is box-shaped with four entrances and a circular center point. When viewed from the outside to the inside, it is divided into two parts, namely the natural world which is divided into three zones on the outside, and the Nirvana realm in the center.
The natural world that humans see and are experiencing now.
Kamadhatu consists of 160 reliefs explaining the Karmawibhangga Sutra, namely the law of cause and effect. Describes human nature and desires, such as robbing, killing, raping, torture, and slander. The covering hood at the base has been permanently opened so that visitors can see the reliefs hidden at the bottom. A photo collection of all 160 relief photos can be seen at the Borobudur Temple Museum in the Borobudur Archaeological Park.
Zone 2: Rupadhatu transitional realm, where humans have been freed from world affairs. Rapadhatu consists of a gallery of carved stone reliefs and Buddha statues. In total there are 328 Buddha statues which also have relief decoration on their carvings. According to Sanskrit manuscripts, this section consists of 1300 reliefs in the form of Gandhawyuha, Lalitawistara, Jataka and Awadana. The whole thing stretches for 2.5 km with 1212 panels.
Zone 3: Arupadhatu the highest realm, the house of God. Three circular porches lead to the central dome or stupa which depicts the resurrection of the world. In this section there are no ornaments or decorations, which means it depicts the highest purity. The porch in this section consists of a circular stupa with a hole, an inverted bell, containing a Buddha statue that leads to the outside of the temple. There are 72 stupas in all. The largest stupa in the center is not as tall as the original version which is 42m high above the ground with a diameter of 9.9m. In contrast to the stupas that surround it, the central stupa is empty and has given rise to debate that it actually contains contents, but there are also those who argue that the stupa is indeed empty.
Relief In total there are 504 Buddhas in meditation postures and six different hand positions throughout the temple.
Temple Corridor During restoration at the beginning of the 20th century, two smaller temples were discovered around Borobudur, namely Pawon Temple and Mendut Temple which are in line with Borobudur Temple. Pawon Temple is 1.15 km from Borobudur, while Mendut Temple is 3 km from Borobudur Temple. There is a belief that there is a religious connection between the three temples, but the ritual process is still not known for certain. The three temples form the route for the Vesak Day Festival which is held every year during the full moon in April or May.
The festival is a commemoration of the birth and death, as well as the enlightenment given by Gautama Buddha.