When archeologists working under Stamford Raffles, the British colonialist and founder of Singapore, stumbled on the overgrown monument of Borobudur in the Javanese jungle in the late 19th century, they uncovered an ancient marvel that has astounded archeologists ever since. A cosmos in stone, a visual scripture of Buddhism with 1,460 exquisite carved reliefs, a pilgrimage site and an enormous mandala, Borobudur was the supreme achievement of a Buddhist kingdom that flourished briefly and then died on Java in the 9th and 10th centuries. This exquisite coffee table volume is perhaps the most lavish of the several oversize photographic books on the greatest Buddhist monument in the world. Designed by Molly Shields, the book's almost-square format approximates that of Borobudur itself.
The New York Times Book Review, Martin Filler
One completes this paper pilgrimage disinclined to dispute the ancient belief that cosmic Borobudur represents "e;the center of the center."e;
New York Times, 12/8/96
[G]lorious photographs . . . detailed and articulate explications.
Contract Design, 5/97
The book, fully annotated and lavishly illustrated with sweeping views and detailed closeups, is a tour de force that may be the next best thing to experiencing this portrayal of heaven and earth in person. . . . [H]auntingly beautiful.
Islands, 4/97
Borobudur . . . is a glorious visual analysis of the 1,100-year-old holy site in Indonesia. . . . Thorough enough to satisfy scholars and pretty enough to entice the general reader, this coffee-table book is one you can return to again and again.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
Borobudur FROM THE PUBLISHER
One of several important holy sites built in central Java during the late eighth and early ninth centuries, the magnificent Buddhist monument of Borobudur is unequaled in size, complexity, and symbolic significance. Conceived as a cosmic symbol of heaven and earth, its architecture, embellished with over one mile of narrative reliefs illustrating the lives of the Buddha and his disciples, directs the Buddhist pilgrim on a physical and spiritual journey from the base to the summit of the monument, from earthly to pure realms. This lavish, encyclopedic study of Borobudur makes it possible to understand as never before the sources of the monument's historical background, its architecture, and its symbolism, which draw from Hindu and native Javanese, as well as Buddhist, traditions. Jean-Louis Nou's sensitive and breathtaking photographs establish the monument's setting and impressive scale, capturing the mysterious turns and passageways and inviting the reader to reenact the pilgrim's journey ascending this labyrinthine mandala of stone. In an important appendix to Louis Frederic's extensive discussion, the volume reprints the complete set of excellent black-and-white photographs (including those documenting the over 150 narrative reliefs now inaccessible to the viewer) published between 1927 and 1930 by Th. van Erp and N.J. Krom in their seminal Beschrijving van Barabudur. Detailed maps; essays on the geographical, political, religious, and commercial circumstances in Java; a chronology of Borobudur from its original construction to the completion of its recent restoration in 1983; a glossary; and a bibliography complete this indispensable volume.
Art & Photography
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