Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas

by John N. Miksic, Anita Tranchini (Photographer), Marcello Tranchini (Photographer)

With vivid photography and insightful commentary, this travel pictorial shines a light on the Buddhist art and architecture of Borobudur.

The glorious ninth-century Buddhist stupa of Borobudur--the largest Buddhist monument in the world--stands in the midst of the lush Kedu Plain of Central Java in Indonesia, where it is visited annually by over a million people.

Borobudur contains more than a thousand exquisitely carved relief panels extending along its many terraces for a total distance of more than a kilometer. These are arranged so as to take the visitor on a spiritual journey to enlightenment, and one ascends the monument past scenes depicting the world of desire, the life story of Buddha, and the heroic deeds of other enlightened beings--finally arriving at the great circular terraces at the top of the structure that symbolizes the formless world of pure knowledge and perfection.

Genres: Buddhism, Art, Nonfiction, History, Art History, Religion, Architecture

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 1990

About the author

John N. Miksic is Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore and the Head of the Archaeology unit, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Center at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. His other works published by NUS Press include Philippine Ancestral Gold and Earthenware in Southeast Asia.

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back in 1991 on my first visit to Borobudur and found it to be a great introduction to the site for sure, but also to Indonesian history and Buddhism. Last week I returned to Borobudur for my third visit and despite being much older and more informed about Javanese history and culture, decided to re-read Borobudur. Only now, eighteen years later, can I really appreciate what a remarkably fine volume this is. The micro-focus is Borobudur, but the book additionally has chapters on all the most relevant elements of Javanese history and culture that put the story of Borobudur into focus. For example, because the decorative panels include carvings of the previous lives of the Buddha, the most important jataka tales are included. There are chapters on Borobudur as a mountain, as a stupa, as a mandala; there are chapters on Buddhism in Java, how Borobudur must have been built, and how it was found and reclaimed. I have several books on Borobudur but now in the hindsight of several visits to the site and years of study, I realize this is simply the best book ever written on the single largest Buddhist monument in the world.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation to a visit to Borobudur. Luckily I stumbled upon this book in Sri Lanka on a recent trip. Little did I know that I would be traveling there in a few months. Serendipity.

The book itself is a an excellent repository of information, diagrams and photographs about Javanese Buddhist culture, art and architecture. The book is neatly divided into three sections. The first section on History and Archaeology has some beautiful architectural plans as well as some old photographs from the 19th Century when it was rediscovered.

The second section on Architecture and symbolism explains the layout of the site as per Buddhist philosophy and beliefs prevalent in the 1tth Century while adding context for the various sculptures. The form, function and choice of different architectural elements are contextualized in this section.

The final section focuses on the stories and the photographs of the bas-reliefs carved into the walls of the multi-tiered structures and their relevance to Buddhist mythology and texts. The appendixes at the end also add to the background information in the main text and worth reading.

[Joao Correia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lido na Indonésia para preparar a visita a Borobudur ; a informação e muito rica sobre este monumento extraordinário, cujas múltiplas dimensões : percurso individual de ascensão e alicerçado na mitologia budista ( mandalas, árvore vida, níveis e fases de evolução até nirvana, etc), que reflete narrativas livros sagrados budistas e a ética nos seus altos e baixo relevos. Um livro que me preparou para uma visita ao monumento, que infelizmente só pude visitar a volta da base do mesmo. Além de Borobudur, o livro é muito rico no contexto histórico e do hinduísmo e budismo em Java.