Ancient Indonesian Volcanic Stone Buddha Head – Buddhist art in Java was at its height during the reign of the Shailendra/Syailendra Dynasty, between the 8th and 12th centuries AD. Today the most famous and most visited Buddhist temple built during that period is the Borobudur stupa, located in Kedu Valley in central Java.
The kings of the Shailendra dynasty were intensely devoted to the Buddhist faith and actively traded with the Pala and Chola kings in India, as well as the Srivijaya empire in Sumatra. The kings of Srivijaya in Sumatra also founded monasteries in Nalanda and Nagapattinam in India.
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During this period both the Pala and Chola kings were practising the Mahayana school of Buddhism which has become the most dominant form of Buddhism in China, Japan, Tibet, and many South East Asian countries.
The Srivajaya kingdom flourished and continued to grow, and by the 9th century, it controlled most of Java but eventually, it was lost to the Chola in 1025 AD when they seized Palembang. Towards the end of the 12th century, the Srivijaya empire shrunk and its dominant role in Sumatra was taken by Malayu a vassal of Java.
The copperplate grant of Devapala-deva shows the close relationship between the Shailendra and the Pala empires. The plate is believed to be the earliest epigraphic record of a Brahman king making a gift of land to a Buddhist monastery for the upkeep and maintenance of monks, and for copying manuscripts in the monastery built by the Sumatran king. The plate also mentions that the grant was given by the king at the request of Maharaja Balaputra Deva of Suvarnadvipa i.e. Sumatra.
After the gradual spread of Islam throughout Indonesia from the 13th century, Borobudur and the Hindu kingdoms which had previously flourished went into decline, and many converted to Islam.
The Borobudur temple structure was eventually overtaken by the jungle over the following few hundred years until it was discovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.
Today the Borobudur Temple is a popular pilgrimage site visited by Buddhists from Indonesia and Southeast Asia on Wesak Day also referred to as Buddha Day where Buddhists commemorate the birthday of the Buddha.
Wesak or Vesakha is a Sanskrit word that is the name of the lunar month in the Hindi Calendar.
Rare 9th / 10th Centuries Indonesian Volcanic Stone Buddha Head
