Kabupaten Batang

The mosque complex covers 10 hectares (25 acres). There are three central buildings arranged in the shape of a U, with the domed mosque at the center; all buildings have pitched, tiled roofs, while the central mosque has four minarets. The central roof resembles the roof of a "joglo", the traditional Javanese house, and symbolize the rising steps toward heaven or to gain God's blessing. The long buildings forming the arms of the U house a library and auditorium respectively; the auditorium can hold up to 2,000 people.

In the central courtyard are six large hydraulically operated umbrellas, inspired by the ones at Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, which are used to protect worshipers;the six umbrellas represent the six tenets of iman.More than 15,000 worshippers can fit in the 7,669-square-metre (82,550 sq ft) prayer area.At the open end of the U is a series of Arabic-style arches, with Arabic calligraphs of 99 attributes of Allah, stood on 25 pillars, each representing one of the named prophets in Islam.Beyond the arches is an inscription on a 3.2-metre (10 ft) tall, 7.8 ton stone fromMount Merapi, designed by Nyoman M. Alim.^[1][3]

Nearby is the 99-metre (325 ft) tall Asmaul Husna Tower, designed to resemble the minaret of a mosque inKudus; the height represents the 99 attributes of Allah.Used for calling Muslims to prayer, the tower also houses a radio station for dakwah and museum at its base and restaurant and observation deck near its summit.The upper levels are accessible by lift.On premises there is also a 23-room hotel.

This famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located in central Java. It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 m2. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The monument was restored with UNESCO's help in the 1970s.

Brief synthesis

The Borobudur Temple Compounds is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world, and was built in the 8th and 9th centuries AD during the reign of the Syailendra Dynasty. The monument is located in the Kedu Valley, in the southern part of Central Java, at the centre of the island of Java, Indonesia.

The main temple is a stupa built in three tiers around a hill which was a natural centre: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,520 m2. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha.

The vertical division of Borobudur Temple into base, body, and superstructure perfectly accords with the conception of the Universe in Buddhist cosmology. It is believed that the universe is divided into three superimposing spheres, kamadhatu, rupadhatu, and arupadhatu, representing respectively the sphere of desires where we are bound to our desires, the sphere of forms where we abandon our desires but are still bound to name and form, and the sphere of formlessness where there is no longer either name or form. At Borobudur Temple, thekamadhatu is represented by the base, the rupadhatu by the five square terraces, and the arupadhatu by the three circular platforms as well as the big stupa. The whole structure shows a unique blending of the very central ideas of ancestor worship, related to the idea of a terraced mountain, combined with the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana.

The Temple should also be seen as an outstanding dynastic monument of the Syailendra Dynasty that ruled Java for around five centuries until the 10th century.

The Borobudur Temple Compounds consists of three monuments: namely the Borobudur Temple and  two smaller temples situatued to the east on a straight axis to Borobudur. The two temples are Mendut Temple, whose depiction of Buddha is represented by a formidable monolith accompanied by two Bodhisattvas, and Pawon Temple, a smaller temple whose inner space does not reveal which deity might have been the object of worship. Those three monuments represent phases in the attainment of Nirvana.

The temple was used as a Buddhist temple from its construction until sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries when it was abandoned. Since its re-discovery in the 19th century and restoration in the 20th century, it has been brought back into a Buddhist archaeological site.

Criterion (i): Borobudur Temple Compounds with its stepped, unroofed pyramid consisting of ten superimposing terraces, crowned by a large bell-shaped dome is a harmonious marriage of stupas, temple and mountain that is a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture and monumental arts.

Criterion (ii): Borobudur Temple Compounds is an outstanding example of Indonesia’s art and architecture from between the early 8th and late 9th centuries that exerted considerable influence on an architectural revival between the mid-13th and early 16th centuries.

Criterion (vi): Laid out in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha, Borobudur Temple Compounds is an exceptional reflection of a blending of the very central idea of indigenous ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana. The ten mounting terraces of the entire structure correspond to the successive stages that the Bodhisattva has to achieve before attaining to Buddhahood.

Integrity

The boundaries contain the three temples that include the imaginary axis between them. Although the visual links are no longer open, the dynamic function between the three monuments, Borobudur Temple, Mendut Temple, and Pawon Temple is maintained.

The main threat to the ensemble is from development that could compromise the extraordinary relationship between the main monument and its wider setting and could also affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. The approach to the property has to a degree already been compromised by weak developmental regulations.

Tourism also exerts considerable pressure on the property and its hinterland.

There is a growing rate of deterioration of the building stone, the cause of which needs further research. There is also a small degree of damage caused by unsupervised visitors.

The eruption of Mount Merapi is also considered as one of the potential threats because of its deposit acidic ash as happened in 2010.

Authenticity

The original materials were used to reconstruct the temple in two phases in the 20th century: after the turn of the century and more recently (1973-1983). Mostly original materials were used with some additions to consolidate the monument and ensure proper drainage which has not had any significant adverse impact on the value of the property. Though the present state of Borobudur Temple is the result of restorations, it retained more than enough original material when re-discovered to make a reconstruction possible.

Nowadays the property could be used as a Buddhist pilgrimage site. Its overall atmosphere is, however, to a certain degree compromised by the lack of control of commercial activities and the pressure resulting from the lack of an adequate tourism management strategy.

Protection and management requirements

The protection of the property is performed under Indonesian Law No. 11/2010 concerning Cultural Heritage and its surrounding cultural landscape. It is executed under a National Strategic Area and the Spatial Management Plan by the Ministry of Public Works in accordance with the Law concerning Spatial Management No. 26/2007 and Governmental Regulation No. 26/2008 concerning National Spatial Planning and will be enforced further by another presidential regulation regarding the Management for the Borobudur National Strategic Area that is still being drafted by the Ministry of Public Works.

The legal and institutional framework for the effective management of the property is regulated by a Presidential Decree Number 1 Year 1992. The established zones within the World Heritage property are respectively under the responsibility of the Borobudur Heritage Conservation Office under Ministry of Education and Culture, of state-owned institute PT. Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur under the Ministry of Enterprises, and of the local governments (Magelang Regency and Central Java Province). A study on the integrated management of Borobudur Temple Compounds has been conducted, including attention for the ecosystem, social and cultural aspects, ecotourism, public and private partnership and organisational feasibility study. This study is the basis of the still to be developed visitor management approach.

In order to ensure consistency between the 1992 Presidential Decree and the 1972 JICA Master Plan zone-system indicated in the World Heritage nomination dossier and to strengthen the regulations regarding development, a New Presidential Regulation is still being formulated by a Coordinating Board (14 Ministries and local authorities as well as representatives of local communities) and by formalizing the role of the proposed Management Board into the wider zones. In addition, the protection of the property has been ensured by the regular financial contribution by the national budget.

Monitoring programs has been effectively executed to monitor the growing rate of deterioration of building stone and also damage by unsupervised visitors. A research is being conducted to determine the long- term impact of deposit acidic ash of eruption of Mount Merapi to set further protection and conservation management of the property. Furthermore, a risk preparedness plan will be formulated in 2012.

The Borobudur Heritage Conservation Office has conducted community development programs targeting especially at the youth to raise their awareness. In improving and empowering local community as specialist guide for Borobudur Temple Compounds, several training programs have been conducted. The community development related to economical sector (small enterprises that produce traditional handicrafts, culinaries, etc) have already being conducted by the municipalities of Magelang Regency and Central Java Province.

Stupa utama terbesar teletak di tengah sekaligus memahkotai bangunan ini, dikelilingi oleh tiga barisan melingkar 72 stupa berlubang yang didalamnya terdapat arca buddha tengah duduk bersila dalam posisi teratai sempurna dengan mudra (sikap tangan) Dharmachakra mudra (memutar roda dharma).

Monumen ini merupakan model alam semesta dan dibangun sebagai tempat suci untuk memuliakan Buddha sekaligus berfungsi sebagai tempat ziarah untuk menuntun umat manusia beralih dari alam nafsu duniawi menuju pencerahan dan kebijaksanaan sesuai ajaran Buddha.

     Pada bagian Arupadhatu (tiga pelataran melingkar), arca Buddha diletakkan di dalam stupa-stupa berterawang (berlubang). Pada pelataran melingkar pertama terdapat 32 stupa, pelataran kedua 24 stupa, dan pelataran ketiga terdapat 16 stupa, semuanya total 72 stupa.Dari jumlah asli sebanyak 504 arca Buddha, lebih dari 300 telah rusak (kebanyakan tanpa kepala) dan 43 hilang (sejak penemuan monumen ini, kepala buddha sering dicuri sebagai barang koleksi, kebanyakan oleh museum luar negeri).

      Mencermati upaya rehabilitasi Borobudur setelah letusan Merapi 2010, UNESCO telah menyumbangkan dana sebesar 3 juta dollar AS untuk mendanai upaya rehabilitasi. Membersihkan candi dari endapan debu vulkanik akan menghabiskan waktu sedikitnya 6 bulan, disusul penghijauan kembali dan penanaman pohon di lingkungan sekitar untuk menstabilkan suhu, dan terakhir menghidupkan kembali kehidupan sosial dan ekonomi masyarakat setempat.

Lebih dari 55.000 blok batu candi harus dibongkar untuk memperbaiki sistem tata air dan drainase yang tersumbat adonan debu vulkanik bercampur air hujan. Restorasi berakhir November 2011, lebih awal dari perkiraan semula.