Talking about historical tourist destinations in Indonesia, there is no end. As the Island of the Gods, it is not surprising that in Bali there are many temples and historical tourist attractions with Hindu nuances. Another case with Central Java. The province which is captained by Ganjar Pranowo has a famous historical tourist area in the world that breathes Buddhism, namely the Borobudur Temple. The latest news says Temple Borobudur is a Buddhist religious tour both in Indonesia and the world. Thus quoting the page travel.seconds (26 / 11 / 2022).
Increased Tourist Expectations
The embedding of Borobudur as a Buddhist religious tour is expected to increase tourist visits to the heritage of the Syailendra dynasty. "The existence of religious activities has added to the attraction of world Buddhists to visit Indonesia, especially (temple) Borobudur. So that it will further increase tourist visits from both the world and domestic," said Director General of Buddhist Community Guidance of the Ministry of Religion Supriyadi at the International Buddhist Conference of Indonesia at Bukit Dagi, Borobudur Temple, Magelang, Friday (18/11/2022).
The conference was a collaboration between the Buddhist Community Guidance and the Association of Indonesian Buddhist Colleges (APTABI). Reportedly, ten countries attended the event, including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, India, America, Nepal and Cambodia.
Dharmayatra and Tourism
Regarding objectives, the conference intends to provide an understanding of the existence of the temple which was once perched as one of the wonders of the world, for dharmayatra and tourism. Dharmayatra itself is an activity to take a trip to Buddhist holy places. In a general sense, the meaning of this term is a pilgrimage to a holy place worthy of worship or respect.
"This means not only in super priority tourism, but also interpreted as pilgrimage activities related to religion itself," he said.
Even though the embedding of Borobudur as a religious tour has just been carried out, this is not something surprising. So far this temple has been used as a place for Vesak and Asadha celebrations. Following its use as a religious tourism site, in the future it will also be used to celebrate other Buddhist religious holidays.
“Such as Asadha Holidays, Kathina Holidays and Magha Puja Holidays, for religious use. The others also carry out routine activities such as pilgrimage, dharmayatra on the 1st, 15th of the calendar," he added.
Masterpiece of Advanced Civilization
Meanwhile, the founder of the 8-9 century AD temple was King Samaratungga. Referring to the book Local Wisdom of Central Java: Timeless by Time by Retno Susilorini, the construction of this temple is to honor Mahayana Buddhism. This is a belief that many people around that time. The temple reliefs depict human life as well as natural and cultural landscapes. This can be seen from the presence of outrigger boats and traditional Indonesian buildings there. Seeing the expression of ideas in detailed and artistic reliefs is a sign that at that time the people already had a very advanced civilization. (y)