Safe Borobudur - past

Safe Borobudur

UNESCO identified three specific areas of concern under the present state of conservation: (i) vandalism by visitors; (ii) soil erosion in the south-eastern part of the site; and (iii) analysis and restoration of missing elements.

The soft soil, the numerous earthquakes and heavy rains lead to the destabilization of the structure. Earthquakes are by far the most important contributing factors, since do stones fall down and arches crumble, but the earth can move in waves, further destroying the structure. There is no limit the number of visitors allowed per day to visit.

Volcanic ash from mount Merapi fell on the stupa
Source: Guiding Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide.

Chandi Borobudur was heavily affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in October and November 2010. Volcanic ash from mount Merapi fell on the temple complex, which is approximately 30 kilometers (18 mi) west - southwest of the crater. A layer of ash up to 2.5 centimeters (1 in) thick fell on the temple statues during the eruption of 3 – 5 November, also killing nearby the vegetation, with experts fearing that the acidic ash might damage the historic site.

The temple complex was closed from 5 to 9 November to clean up the ash fall. UNESCO donated US$3 million as a part of the costs towards the rehabilitation of chandi Borobudur after Mount Merapi's 2010 eruption. More than 55,000 stone blocks comprising the temple's structure were dismantled to restore the drainage system, which had been clogged by slurry after the rain.

In January 2012, two German stone - conservation experts spent ten days at the site analyzing the temples and making recommendations to ensure their long-term preservation. In June, Germany agreed to contribute $130,000 to UNESCO for the second phase of rehabilitation, in which six experts in stone conservation, microbiology, structural engineering and chemical engineering would spend a week in chandi Borobudur in June then return for another visit in September or October.

Clean up the ash fall on the temple
Source: Guiding Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide.

These missions would launch the preservation activities recommended in the January report and would include capacity building activities to enhance the preservation capabilities of governmental staff and young conservation experts.

In August 2014, the Conservation Authority of chandi Borobudur reported some severe abrasion of the stone stairs caused by the scraping of visitors' footwear. The conservation authority planned to install wooden stairs to cover and protect the original stone stairs, just like those installed in Angkor Wat.

On 14 February 2014, major tourist attractions in Yogyakarta and Central Java, including chandi Borobudur, chandi Prambanan and chandi Ratu Boko, were closed to visitors, after being severely affected by the volcanic ash from the eruption of Kelud volcano in East Java, located around 200 kilometers east from Yogyakarta. Workers covered the iconic stupas and statues of chandi Borobudur temple to protect the structure from volcanic ash.

Chandi Borobudur, the magnificent and little known temple - the mountain of the virtues - is first a landscape, which over a thousand years ago, met the eyes of those who came on pilgrimage here to seek the inner peace to which all believers in the Buddha aspire.

Source: Guiding Technique Chandi Borobudur arisguide.