Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-11-12
soRo BoEDoR.
A Grent Buddhist Ruin In Java That
Rivals the Pyramids.

n GreQk 0uUuuint NUN ~ wv" A''s~s
Rivals the Pyramids.
Miss Z. II. Scidmore has written an &c.
count of visit to the Buddhist ruins
In Java, under the title of Prisoners ct
State at Boro Boedor." Miss Scidmore
bays of the great temple;
"a gray ruin showed indistinctly ON
q hilltop, and, after a run through
long, arched avenue, we came out sud
denly at the base of the hill-temple. III
stead of mad triumphal sweep around
the great pyramid, the ponies baked,
rooted themselves past any flashing or
'Gr-r-ree-ing,' and we got out and
walked under the. MONDAY sun, around
the hoary high altar of Buddha, down
Nh avenue of tall kanari trees, lined
with statues, gargoyles, and other such
recha, or remains of ancient art, to the
p6ssagran, or government resthouse.
'The deep portico of the passagrah
commands an angle and two sides OF
the square temple, and from the mass
OF blackened and bleached stones the
eye finally arranges and follows out
the broken lines of the terraced pyra-
mid, covered with such wealth of or
nament as no other structure In the
world presents. The first near view
Is almost disappointing. In the blur OF
details it is difficult to realize the vapt
proportions of this twelve-century-old
structure, a pyramid, the base plat
form of which is 500 feet square, the
first terrace walls are 300 feet square,
and the final dome rises to height Of
100 feet. Stripped of every kindly re-
lief of vine and moss, every gap and r'l'
ined angle visible, there was some.
thing garish, raw, and almost disor'
dered at the first glance, almost as jar
ring 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, or process
sional paths between their walls, which
are covered on each side with bas-re'
lief sculptures. If placed in single line
these bas-reliefs would extend for three
miles. The terrace walls hold 436 inches
OF alcove chapels, where life-size Bud
dhas sit serene upon lotus cushions.
Staircases extend 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
circular terraces, where 72 latticed
dagobas (reliquaries in the shape oil
the calyx or bud of the lotus) inclose
each seated image-72 more Buddhas
sitting in these inner circles of Nirvana,
facing great dr. goba, or final cupola,
the exact function or purpose of which
as key to the whole structure is still
the puzzle of archaeologists. This final
shrine is 80 feet in diameter, and either
covered relic of Buddha, or central
well where the ashes of priests and
princes were deposited or is form sur
viving from the tree temples Of the EARL
est primitive east, where nature worship
prevailed. The English engineers made
an opening in the solid exterior, and
found an unfinished statue of Buddha
on platform over deep well-hole
and its head, half-buried in debris
still smiles upon one from the deep cav
ern. A staircase has been constructed
to the summit of this dagoba, and from
il one looks down upon the whole struc'
ture as on ground-plan drawing, ant
out over finely cultivated fields and
thick palm-groves to the matches:
peaks and the nearer hills that inclost
this fertile valley of the Boro Boedor-
the very finest view ever saw wrote
Marianne North.
"Three-fourths Of the terrace chapeli
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
race walls bulge, lean outward, AM
have fallen in long stretches; and thu
circular platforms and the processiona
paths undulate as II earthquake-wavei
were at the moment rocking the mass
No cement was used to hold the fittet
stones together, and other Hindoo pc
culiarities Of construction are the en-
tire absence of column, pillar, or al
arch. Vegetation wrought great ruiz
during its buried centuries, but earth
guakes and tropical rains are work
ing now n slow but surer ruin tina
will leave little Of Boro Boedor for thu
next century's wonder-seekers, unless
the walls are soon Strengthened ant
strongly braced.