The Mysterious Pyramid Of A Thousand Statues - Alternative View

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The Mysterious Pyramid Of A Thousand Statues - Alternative View
The Mysterious Pyramid Of A Thousand Statues - Alternative View

Video: The Mysterious Pyramid Of A Thousand Statues - Alternative View

Video: The Mysterious Pyramid Of A Thousand Statues - Alternative View
Video: 22 Mysterious Statues No One Can Explain 2024, March
Anonim

On the island of Java, Indonesia, surrounded by volcanoes, there is a hill of a thousand statues, which for some unknown reason remained abandoned for centuries. For many years of oblivion, it was covered with volcanic ash, and was captivated by dense thickets.

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The Borobudur Temple is considered by many to be a miracle of the ancient world. It is enough to see its majestic landscapes at dawn and the eternal beauty of the relief to feel the “spiritually enlightening” challenge of reaching the top.

Secrets of the Buddhist stupa

Built between the 8th and 9th centuries, the largest Buddhist monument in the world must have secrets. It is difficult to imagine how such ideal designs were created using simple technologies.

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No one knows exactly who commissioned the construction of Borobudur, although history attributes this to the Silendra Dynasty. Presumably, it took 75 years to build. In addition to the obvious religious functions of the temple, researchers have long put forward unexpected hypotheses about its alternative functions.

Promotional video:

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According to Professor Agus of the University of Indonesia, one of Borobudur's greatest mysteries is the hidden base, also known as Mahakarmavibhanga. Hundreds of beautifully carved embossed panels are completely hidden a couple of meters underground, except for a section in the southeast, which the Japanese blew up in the 1940s out of curiosity.

There are two theories as to why the Mahakarmavibhanga is hidden:

  • When the construction of Borobudur was completed, the foundation was unstable. To prevent destruction, the builders had to anchor the foundation on all sides.
  • Religious reasons. Mahakarmavibhanga depicts despicable human acts such as torture, beheading, robbery and is considered unacceptable to worldly eyes. “Violence is only a small percentage of the reliefs, I don't think it makes sense to hide them for that reason,” said Professor Agus.
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Another riddle of Borobudur is the reliefs of ships in the east. They depict a sailing double canoe under celestial objects, presumably making a trip to Africa. At that time, Indonesians were crossing the ocean without a compass, focusing on the stars. In 2003-2004, a wooden replica of the Borobudur ship sailed from Jakarta to Accra (Ghana) to showcase the Indian Ocean's trade ties with ancient Indonesians and Africans. Now housed in the Samudra Rakshi Museum on the north side of the Archaeological Park, the ship is a testament to the thousand-year-old Indonesian maritime and astronomical genius.

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There are many Borobudur puzzles. Some of them are scientifically plausible, such as the temple's resemblance to a lotus floating in a now-dried ancient lake basin. Others are mythical, such as the urban legend that Gunadharma became a sleeping giant mountain.

Borobudur temple architecture

The Great Buddhist Stupa does not have a central altar or sanctuary. It has six square platforms topped with three circular platforms. The temple is decorated with galleries, which form a structure in the form of 2667 relief panels carved in stone. Buddha Statues - 504. The central dome of the upper tier is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues sitting inside the domed structure.

Borobudur is divided into three levels from base to top:

  • Kamadhatu (kingdom of desiring people).
  • Rupadhatu (life on earth in which the soul is purified from all desires).
  • Arupadhatu (leaving the soul from the body and uniting with the gods in Nirvana).

However, holey stupas at the level of Arupadhatu surprise - it means superstitions that touch the Buddha through the holes will make desires a reality.

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The temple can be layered as follows:

  • The platform at the base of the structure, which was present in the original structure and hid some of the reliefs, is of undefined origin and function.
  • Four square terraces connected by steep staircases. Each site contains reliefs in two layers on either side, telling the story of the Buddha's past lives and his enlightenment. The “correct” way to view the terrain is to start at the eastern gate (main entrance) and circle clockwise.
  • After the square storeys, the structure suddenly opens to reveal the last four circular terraces. There are no relief panels, but there are several hundred domes containing half-hidden Buddha statues.
  • The peak of the complex is the central stupa.

The distances between the stupas are not equal. However, if you look at Borobudur from above, the stupas appear orderly. The temple resembles a mandala - an intricate circle of meditation in a square with symbols of the gods strategically coordinated to create harmonious patterns.

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There is no exact answer to the question: when and why people left Borobudur. Presumably, it was abandoned after the fall of the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms in Java in the 14th century. Some believe that people abandoned the complex after the eruption of Mount Merapi in the early 11th century.

The eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010
The eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010

The eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010

Today, shrouded in mystery, Borobudur is a popular Buddhist monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.