tagged w/ Ancient Temples
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The Buddhist temple of Borobudur, set among volcanoes on Indonesia's Java island, stands as a testament to the Buddhist roots of the world's most populous Muslim country.
The temple, the world's largest Buddhist monument, was built in the eighth and ninth centuries. It is a pilgrimage site for followers from around the region and it is also the most popular tourist attraction in Indonesia.
This week, pilgrims came in their thousands to celebrate Buddha's birthday. Monks, nuns and devotees, dressed in yellow, saffron, grey and black robes, prayed and circled the grey, volcanic stone temple, which is decorated with reliefs showing scenes from Buddhist texts and from the life of Buddha.
Each year an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 worshippers from Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and elsewhere gather at Borobudur to celebrate Vesak, boosting local tourism in a country that often struggles to attract more visitors.
"This is the biggest Buddhist temple in Indonesia, so we have come to pray, for Buddha's birthday and enlightenment," said Inge Teja, a 27-year-old ethnic Chinese accountant who had come with about 180 fellow-worshippers from Tangerang, near the capital Jakarta.
"At home we don't have a temple, only a vihara," she added.
Centuries ago, this part of central Java was ruled by Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms which left their cultural mark on the landscape with scattered temples and statues.
But today, Buddhists, along with Christians and Hindus, are among the religious minorities in Indonesia.
Out of 226 million Indonesians, about 85 percent are Muslim. Indonesia's ministry of religious affairs says just 1.2 percent of the population are Buddhists. WALUBI, the country's biggest Buddhist organization, puts the number at 12-15 million, or as much as 6.6 percent of the population.
COMPETING CALLS TO PRAYER
Borobudur, made up of platforms that form a pyramid shape, is topped with several stupas and statues of Buddha.
Its construction was a considerable human feat, but the temple mysteriously fell into disuse and lay forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered in the 19th century, covered in ash and vegetation. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
While Borobudur and other Buddhist sites in the area are important historically, there are constant reminders that this is predominantly Muslim territory.
Many of the local women here wear the traditional Muslim head covering. As worshippers gathered at Borobudur, their chants at times competed with the call to prayer from the nearby mosque.
The nearby city of Solo is also considered the heartland for the militant Islamic group known as Jemaah Islamiah, or JI.
The group, which wants to create an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia, was responsible for several deadly bomb attacks in Jakarta and the resort island of Bali.
Back in the 1980s, parts of Borobudur were damaged in a bomb attack. But today perhaps the greatest threat to the monument comes from tourists, including many non-Buddhists who ignore the "no climbing" signs and scramble on top of the stupas to pose for photographs, much to the horror of Buddhist worshippers.
Still, the celebration of Vesak in the Muslim heartland of Indonesia is an important test of religious tolerance in a country that has suffered from several bouts of religious tension since the ouster in 1998 of former President Suharto.The Buddhist temple of Borobudur, set among volcanoes on Indonesia's Java island,... more
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kushan
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added this
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4 years ago
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