The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-29
BoRo BoEDoR.
A Great Buddhist Ruin In Java That RI
walls the Pyramids.

Miss 4. X. Scidmore has written for
The Century IN account Of visit to
the Buddhist ruins i'm Java, under the
title of prisoners of State at Boro
Boedor." Miss Scidmore says of the
great temple:
A gray ruin showed indistinctly on
a hilltop, and, after run through a
long, arched avenue, we came out sud-
denly at the base of the hill temple. In
stead of mad, triumphant sweep
around the great pyramid, the ponies
baked, rooted themselves past any lash
ing or "Gr-r-ree-ing, and we got out
and walked under the MONDAY sun,
around the hoary high altar of Buddha,
down an avenue of tall kanari trees,
lined with statues, gargoyles and other
such recha, or remains OF ancient art,
to the passagran or government rest
, house.
The deep portico Of the passagran
commands an angle and two sides of
the square temple, and from the mas
of blackened and bleached stones the
eye finally arranges and follows out the
| broken lines of the terraced pyramid,
| covered with such wealth OF orna-
| ment as no other one structure in the
world presents. The first near view is
almost disappointing. In the blur OF
| details it is difficult to realize the vast
| proportions of this IL century old struc
ture-a pyramid the base platform of
| which is 500 feet square, the first ter
race walls are 300 feet square, and the
, final dome rises to a height of 100 feet.
Stripped of every kindly relief of vine
and moss, every gap and ruined angle
| visible, there was something garish,
| raw and almost disordered ct the first
! glance, almost as Earring as newness,
and the hard black and white effect of
the dark lichens on the gray trachyte
made it look like bad photograph of
! the pile.
The temple stands on broad plat
form and rises first in five square ter
races, inclosing galleries CT professional
paths between their walls, which are
covered on each side with bas-relief
sculptures. If placed il single line,
these bas-reliefs would extend for three
miles The terrace walls hold 1876
inches or alcove chapels where life size
Buddhas sit serene upon lotus cushions.
Staircases ascend in straight lines from
each of the four sides, passing under
stepped or pointed arches the keystones
of which are deliberately carved masks,
and rows of sockets in the jambs show
where wood or metal doors once swung.
Above the square terraces are three
| -. . LOT 1a
gobas (reliquaries in the shape OF the
calyx or bud of the lotus) inclose each
seated image, % more Buddhas sit
ting in these inner, upper circles OF
Nirvana, facing great dagoba, or final
cupola, the exact function or purpose
of which as key to the whole structure
is still the puzzle of archGologists.
This final shrine is so feet in diameter
and either covered relic of Buddha or
. central well where the ashes of priests
, and princes were deposited, or is form
surviving from the tree temples Of the
earliest primitive cast when nature wor
ship prevailed The English engineer:
, made an opening in the solid exterior
J and found an unfinished statue of Bud
dha on platform over deep well hole
, and its head, half buried in debris, still
4 smiles upon one from the deep cavern
A staircase has been constructed to the
summit of this dagoba, and from it one
looks down upon the whole structure a!
>, on ground plan drawing and out ovel
finely cultivated fields and thick palm
groves to the matchless peaks and the
, nearer hills that inclose this fertile val
| ley of the Boro BoedOr-''th the very fines
. | view l ever saw, wrote Marianne
North.
Three fourths of the terrace chapel
and the upper dagobas have crumbled
\ | hundreds of statues are headless, arm
\ less, overturned, missing; tees or fin
: ials, are gone from the bell roofs; ter
0 race walls bulge, lean outward ant
: have fallen III long stretches, and the
$ circular platforms and the processiona
o paths mdulate as if earthquake waves
\ were at the moment rocking the mass
{ Ne cement was used to hold the fitte(
f stones together, and other Hindoo pecul
/. iarities of construction are the entire
i. absence of q column, pillar or an arch
s Vegetation wrought great ruin during
: its buried centuries, but earthquake
r and tropical rains are working now ;
@ slow but surer ruin that will leave lit
r tie of Boro Boedor for the next centu
g RVS wonder seekers, unless the wall
& are soon Strengthened and strongl,
{ braced
u .Japanese GardeniuU.