ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

THE LOST TEMPLE OF JAVA:

Borobudur Temple
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

BS ARCHITECTURE/ BLK 301 | MWF 9:00 10:00

ARCH. JULIETA BERGONIO MATEO, UAP

THE LOST TEMPLE OF JAVA: The Borobudur Temple
Why it is called The Lost Temple of Java

Borobudur is an ancient Buddhist temple complex, which was forgotten and abandoned
for a long time until a thousand years later, it was rediscovered hidden beneath a volcanic ash
and an overgrown jungle in 1814, by the famous Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

HISTORY

Borobudur in Central Java is one of the most spectacular monuments of the Buddhists
and of mankind. Built on the island of Java around 800 CE, it was neglected when the political
and cultural center was moved to the eastern region of Java around 920 CE. The name Borobudur
is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words vihara Buddha uhr, meaning the
Buddhist monastery on the hill. The leading name of the Borobudur temple architect, is
Gunadharma. It is estimated that Gunadharma is a symbol of the name of someone who has
exceptional intellectual. There is an assumption that the Borobudur Temple was built with the
help of 'other beings'. Later in 1991, the temple was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage.

NOTABLE FEATURES

It is third of the worlds largest temples

When viewed from the air, the Borobudur Temple is similar to the
shape of lotus. Lotus is one of the symbols used in Buddhism, The Corbelled Arch
symbolizing purity. widely used
throughout the
It is built out of 1.6 million blocks of worked volcanic stone from
whole structure of
2,000,000 pieces of rocks Borobudur Temple
Contains 504 statues of Buddha and three miles of relief carvings
resulting to 1460 relief panels
Consists of 72 stupas and 1,472 smaller stupas
Consists of 10 levels, measuring 123 x 123 meters.
Height was 42 meters before it was renovated and 34.5 meters after the renovation because
the lowest level is used as a drag.