Borobudur monument (Java, Indonesia) stood by a natural lake: chronostratigraphic evidence and historical implications

Abstract

A HOLOCENE RESEARCH REPORT Abstract: The ninth-century world-heritage Buddhist monument of Borobudur (Java, Indonesia) stands above the floor of a dried-out palaeolake, but it remains uncertain as to whether it was ever constructed on a lake shore. Here we reveal through new chronological and palaeoenvironmental data on the extant sediment record of the area that Borobudur intentionally stood by an existing lake. For the first time, evidence of this conjunction validates quite literally the debated cosmological interpretation of the edifice as an aquatic lotus symbol upon which Buddha is seated. The fluctuating life history of the lake spanned at least 20000 years.

Borobudur Paleoclimate Reconstruction Research Proposal

“…• The study timeframe is within the evolutionary range of the Borobudur Lake, which is 22,000 to 660 BP [Murwanto et al, 2004]. The study area [Murwanto et al, 2004] 2 Literature Reviews…”

“…Borobudur is the largest Buddhist Temple in the world which belongs to the seven wonders of the world. Borobudur Temple was built on the surface of a lake that dried in the period 760 to 830 AD [Murwanto et al, 2004]. Borobudur is located in Central Java.…”

Changing perspectives on the relationship between heritage, landscape and local communities: A lesson from Borobudur

“…According to Hindu-Buddhist cosmology, this sacred mountain is encircled by concentric rings of sea and land. Recent geological research in the vicinity of Borobudur has discovered evidence of an ancient lake that once existed around Borobudur (Murwanto et al 2004). The occurrence of an ancient lake surrounding Borobudur was hypothesised by W.O.J.…”

The Ancient Borobudur Lake, History, and Its Evidences to Develop Geo-archeotourism in Indonesia

“…Previous studies stated that the past environment of Borobudur plain was a lake, and the temple was built on a hill in the centre of the lake (Nieuwenkamp, 1933;Nossin and Voute, 1986). Although the existence of the ancient lake was not described in the inscriptions, lacustrine sediment (black clay) is found very thick and large in some areas of Borobudur plain (Murwanto et al, 2004;Murwanto, 2014;Murwanto et al, 2015a).…”

“…The ancient lake began to dry in eight centuries (Murwanto et al, 2004). due to the combination of tectonic, volcanic, and anthropogenic activities (Murwanto, 2014).…”