5 Myths and Mysteries of Borobudur Temple, Including Touching the Contents of the Stupa

This temple was built during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty around 800 AD. This temple is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world.
Like other ancient buildings, Borobudur Temple also holds a number of myths and mysteries that are believed by the community. Here are some of them, summarizing various sources.

1. Kunto Bimo
A Buddha statue in the Borobudur Temple area is called Kunto Bimo. Myth says, anyone who can touch the statue inside this hollow stupa will get good luck.
Kunto Bimo itself comes from the word 'kunto' which in Javanese means 'ngento-ento' or request. While 'Bimo' is Bima, one of the Pandawa figures who has a never-give-up nature.
When combined, Kunto Bimo means a request with never giving up and hoping to get results.
However, this myth allegedly emerged thanks to the trickery of certain temple officials in the 1950s. The late archaeologist R. Soekmono, who led the temple restoration project in 1971-1983, said that the myth is not related to and is not taught in Buddhism.
Also, the activity of touching the inside of the stupa can have a negative impact on the sustainability of the temple building.

2. Singa Urung
When you are about to enter the temple complex, you will find two lion-shaped statues on the right and left of the temple stairs. These two lion statues are called Singa Urung.
There is a myth that if a couple passes between the two statues, their relationship will fail or 'urung' in Javanese.

3. Hidden reliefs
Visiting Borobudur Temple means visiting a historical site with stretches of reliefs along the temple walls.
Gathering information from various sources, there are two hidden reliefs that are rarely known to people. The reliefs are at the bottom and on the hidden foundation.
The reliefs are called Kamadhatu which consists of 160 reliefs from the Karmawibhangga Sutra or the law of cause and effect.

4. Mysterious architect
The existence of Borobudur itself is considered a miracle. The reason is, at that time there was no advanced technology to create a magnificent building like this. The stones were designed in such a way that they remained standing upright even without adhesives such as cement or iron reinforcement. Who was the architect or contractor behind this building? Apparently this is still a mystery. However, the community believes that Gunadarma was the genius behind the splendor of Borobudur.
The community also believes that Gunadarma has transformed into the Menoreh mountains which are not far from the temple.

5. Giant clock
The temple building is also believed to be a giant clock that relies on sunlight. The peak stupa or the largest stupa is used as a point to mark the hour.
When exposed to sunlight, the peak of the stupa will cast a shadow and fall on one of the stupas on the lower level.
Not only that, it turns out that the architect was able to calculate the direction of the wind precisely and applied it to the construction of the temple. Borobudur Temple has become a very precise direction indicator.