Artist: unknown
Title: Ground plan of the Great Stupa/Mount Meru at Borobudur
Material: local volcanic rock
Site: Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
Current Location: in situ
Period/Date: ca. end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th century,
under the Shailendra Dynasty
Iconography/Iconology: A cosmological diagram of the entire Buddhist
world system and a pilgrimage through the various levels to one's own enlightenment.
The cosmological diagram is known as a mandala and developed as such at
the site with the four Jina Buddhas on their respective sides.
Stylistic Comments: Essentially an extension of Indic styles as expressed
in the Indianized states of south eastern Asia and especially the Kingdoms
of Java, the sculpture at the site is markedly dependent on the schools
of Indic sculpture. However many local features, for example the type of
clustering of various individuals, the particular types of garments, and
the details of the jewelry, all point to a long-standing, internal development
of a local tradition.
