Borobudur - Exotic Historical Temple

The word Borobudur taken based on the first written evidence which was written by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Governor General of the United Kingdom in Java. There is no other written evidence that older who named the temple. Only one of the oldest documents that show the existence of this temple is Nagarakretagama book, written by mpu Prapanca in 1365. In the book is written that this temple was used as a place of Buddhist meditation.

The meaning of the name Borobudur is "monastery in the hills", which comes from the word "bara" (temple or monastery) and "beduhur" (hills or high places) in Sanskrit. Therefore, in accordance with the meaning of the name Borobudur, this place since the first used as a place of worship by Buddhists.

This temple then for centuries are no longer used. Since volcanic eruptions, most of the Borobudur Temple building is covered by volcanic soil. In addition, the building is also covered with various trees and shrubs for centuries. Then the building of this temple began to be forgotten in the time Islam arrived in Indonesia around the 15th century.

In 1814 when the British occupied Indonesia, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles heard of the discovery of huge archaeological objects in the village of Magelang Bumisegoro. Due to the great interest the history of Java, Raffles immediately ordered HC Cornelius, a Dutch engineer, to investigate the location of the discovery which was a hill that was covered with shrubs.

After Indonesia gained its independence, then in 1956, the Indonesian government requested the assistance of UNESCO to examine the damage to Borobudur. Then in 1963, an official decision issued by the Indonesian government to conduct the restoration of Borobudur temple with the help of UNESCO. However, this restoration was only really started on August 10, 1973. The process of restoration was recently completed in 1984. Since 1991, Borobudur designated as World Heritage or World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

With all the history and exotic temple of Borobudur, a lot of people from all over the world have put Borobudur as a place to visit in his life. Besides enjoying the temple, you can walk around to the villages around Borobudur, such Karanganyar and Wanurejo to see the activities of local crafts.