242 



Jhe Review of Reviews. 



SeptemteT i, I90S. 



The Temple of Boro Budun. 



The teniple of Boro Budur, built in the seventh 

 centun, is a pyramid of terraces, withj apparently, 

 no interior chambers or excavations. Its base is 

 500 feet square, and the dome or cupola 100 feet in 

 height. The first six terraces ha\e each thirty-six 

 sides, enclosing galleries or pilgrim paths, between 

 their walls, covered with beautifully carved cornices, 

 which support 456 niche-temples, each containing 

 a life-size Buddha seated on a lotus throne, and 

 crowned with bell-shaped dagabas. All the walls 

 are adorned, both inside and out, with beautiful 

 high-relief sculptures, displaying scenes from the 

 life of Buddha, consummating a pictorial battle in 

 stone. These, if stretched out in a single line, would 

 extend a distance of three miles. Above the first 

 six terraces are three circular terraces, supporting 

 respectively 32, 24 and 16 open-work dagabas, 

 shaped like a lotus-bed, and in size much 

 larger than those which surmount the niche- 

 temples. In each of these — 72 in all — is a 

 V^uddha image ; making in all over 500 statues of 

 Buddha. The apex of the pyramid is a cupola 

 or great dagaba. All the terra ceSj as well as this 

 crowning dome, can be reached by steps ascending 

 from the centre of each of the four sides of the 

 .'•mple. Th<=- '='flifire is built of grey trachyte (an 



igneous rock), exquisitely fitted together without 

 cement of any kind. It is notew-orthy that in the 

 whole structure there is not a sing'te- column or 

 pillar. Truly has it been said. " They wrought like 

 Titans and finished like jewellers." 



The great dagaba remained sealed until recently, 

 when it was burst open. It was found to contain 

 some traces of ashes and an UDfi.nished Buddha 

 image. From this it appears the temple was also 

 a mausoleum, and it is extremely improbable that so 

 vast a shrine would have been built for any ashes 

 less sacred than those of Buddha. About 250 B.C. 

 Asoka, one of the most powerful of the Indian 

 kings, abjured Brahmanism, and made Buddhism 

 the religion of the State — doing for Buddhism what 

 Constantine subsequently did for Christianity. Ac- 

 cording to tradition, he caused the ashes of Buddha 

 to be disinterred from seven out of the eight places, 

 where they had been deposited for three centuries, 

 and these were distributed amongst the belie\ers in 

 all Buddhist communities. We are therefore war- 

 ranted in believing that some of these supposed 

 ashes of Buddha were brought over by devotees to 

 Java, and enshrined in a Tope or Mausoleum worthy 

 of the sacred relics thev adored. The name of the 



