10 Myth and Mysteries of Borobudur Temple

Who does not know this one temple, one of the buildings recognized by UNESCO as a world sacrifice? Surely all who come to Borobudur, which is located in Magelang, Central Java, will be amazed to see the hundreds of years old ancient architectural splendor. The temple, which rises high with stupas and reliefs emblazoned on each side of the temple, is a relic of Buddhist beliefs during the Syailendra dynasty (760 - 830 AD). This temple is very unique and different from the models of other Buddhist temple sites in the world maybe this is the only one in the world. Behind its beauty, it turns out that the Borobudur Temple has a lot of unsolved mysteries. Here we refer to some of the mysteries surrounding the Borobudur Temple.

1 | Building of The Temple

Borobudur

The biggest mystery of Borobudur until now is the process of developing Borobudur itself. Just imagine how the people of ancient times that in fact have no sophisticated equipment can make high architectural masterpieces from rock fragments even without planted foundations. According to archaeologists, in the past Borobudur only had 1 giant stupa in between 5 balustrades, but because the mass of the very large stupa automatically put enormous pressure below that could make the body of the temple collapse so that it was replaced by 1 stupa in the middle and 3 levels of the surrounding stupa. The process of developing Borobudur is estimated about 75-100 years.

2 | UFO in The Relief

ufo borobudur

Not only in Egyptian Abydos Temple which has UFO-like reliefs, Borobudur also has mysterious reliefs related to extraterrestrial vehicles. Whether on the basis of what they carved out a floating dish, there might be certain intentions or goals or they tried to tell the box experience with Aliens. Even so, many refute this clash and consider it a claim without studying the ancient Buddhist symbols. If examined further the object is intended to describe 7 kingly gems (chakravartin) in Buddhist cosmology. Like horses (Aśvaratna), Cakraratna (golden wheels), elephants (hastiratna) and Maṇiratna (gems of hope).

Read also 6 Fact that Support Alien Existence

3 | Kunto Bimo

Kunto Bimo

For those who have visited Borobudur. Surely have seen tourists are busy reaching the stupa through the holes in each wall of the stupa or maybe you have done it yourself. That is what is called Kunto Bimo, one of the myths surrounding the Borobudur Temple. Anyone who can touch the statue in a stupa then all his wishes will be fulfilled or will get good luck. Kunto Bimo itself is a Buddha statue in the position of the Dharmachakra which is in the stupa with the rhombic cover at the base level of the 3 stupa steps. Men are advised to touch the little finger or ring finger while the woman is on the toe. Of course, it is very difficult and even impossible to reach the part just relying on hands.

4 | Ancient Lake

acient lake

As reported from the Tempo page, a doctoral student from the Department of Geography at Gadjah Mada University named Helmi Murwanto was able to investigate the alleged ancient lakes around the Borobudur Temple. According to him, this land was once a 10,000-year-old ancient lake formed in the Late Pleistocene Period. The loss of the lake is caused by silting and human activities. Where before the existence of civilization in the area the lake was still flooded up to 8km from the Pacet River at the foot of Tidar Hill, Mertoyudan until it reached the foot of Menorah mountain. The forecast was obtained from the analysis of the spread of black clay deposits derived from volcanic material and rocks. In addition satellite imagery also shows the river flow that empties into the lake. It is very reasonable if the area was once a river because the concept of the Borobudur Temple itself resembled a lotus flower.

5 | Singa Urung

singa urung

Singa Urung is the Javanese language which means tiger failed. Singa Urung in the form of tigers that are on the left and right of the stairs entering the temple. The myth that developed in the community is that anyone who passes or touches the statue will fail or fail according to its name. As for lovers, they are encouraged to stay away from these statues because they can have fatal consequences, which can lead to the failure of their relationship to break up or fail to get married. (So, for those of you who have a lover, be careful, if you are traveling in Borobudur, you should be aware of this one).

6 | Borobudur Architect

pegunungan menoreh

Although there is no definite answer as to who is the architect of Borobudur. According to the hereditary legend adopted by the community, the architect of Borobudur is Gunadharma. He is an intellectual figure of the past who has intelligence above average. It makes perfect sense because Borobudur Temple itself cannot be built carelessly without intelligent and careful calculations. Even more surprising, Gunadharma is said to be transformed into a mountain located near Borobudur Temple, Menoreh Mountain. When viewed from a distance it will look like a human body that is lying down that is what the surrounding residents believe to be Gunadharma. While UFO hunters consider it a design of aliens or UFO.

7 | Hidden Relief

Relief Karmawibhangga

Behind the magnificence of the reliefs that adorn every wall of the temple ledge, it keeps other relief panels hidden by the terrace or the foot of the temple. The relief was called Karmawibhangga, first discovered by JW Yzerman archaeologist in 1885. Then in 1891, a Dutch photographer named Kasiyan Chepas dismantled the part that closed the relief and took pictures one by one after it was closed again as before. Having examined these reliefs, most of them illustrate vulgar scenes and crime. Karmawibhangga describes the law of cause and effect or the lowest level of Buddhist teachings that are full of worldliness like killing, gossiping, saying dirty, adultery, rape, even sex scenes are also here. Whether the reason for this relief is hidden, perhaps because this relief is not worth displaying or may be forced to close to strengthen the foundation under the temple.

8 | Monster Clock

penampang borobudur
Besides functioning as a place of worship for Buddhists, Borobudur Temple is thought to have other functions related to Astronomy. Supported by the relief carvings depicting the Moon, Star, and Sun. This temple is probably a sky movement recorder. Besides that, the symmetrical shape of the building that has a parallel side to the direction of the sun's movement from east to west suggests that the Borobudur Temple is probably a giant sun clock. An hour of nature that relies on sunlight. The main stupa in the middle functions as a clock and a small stupa around it as a marker. Sunlight produces a shadow for a large stupa and will pass through the stupas below but it is still not known exactly how to read the time of the hour. If true, this is evidence of Indonesia's past civilization that has used astronomy for daily activities.

9 | Unfinished Buddha

Unfinished Buddha

Unfinished Buddha means an unfinished Buddha statue, seen from the imperfect shape of the statue, such as a boxed hand, non-detailed fingers, uncarved hair, and other irregularities. This statue is one of the mysteries of Borobudur which is being debated. It is said that he said, this stupa was found in the main stupa during the 1907 restoration by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, but many refused because it was not recorded in the Raffles document. Another theory reveals that this statue was taken from another location, not in the main stupa. As in Buddhism, the Buddha is pure or absent, so the main stupa should be left empty. The Unfinished Buddha statue is still kept in the Karmawibhangga museum and leaves a puzzle that has never been revealed.

10 | Relic of the Prophet Sulaiman

Penghakiman Nabi Sulaiman by Nicolas Poussin

This theory was first revealed by KH Fahmi Basya, an Islamic mathematician at the Islamic University of Negri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. According to him, Borobudur Temple is a relic site of Prophet Sulaiman, which was built miraculously with the help of a genie. Prophet Sulaiman or Solomon in Samawi belief is the son of King David who became the 3rd leader of the kingdom of Israel. According to him the Prophet Sulaiman had traveled to the archipelago to spread Islam. There is a lot of evidence that according to him supports his theory, such as reliefs of flowers, animals and Arabic "bismilah" writings in Boko Temple. Borobudur Temple is considered as a box for the inheritance of Prophet David, as mentioned in the Koran. This idea led to pros and cons among historians, many refused, but not a few agreed with his opinion.

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