Borobudur Buddha head

This carved head, made of volcanic stone, comes from the great Buddhist monument of Borobudur on the island of Java, Indonesia.

Although Buddhism originated in India, it spread to other parts of Asia, probably reaching Indonesia in the early centuries AD. Borobudur was built around 800. The monument rises in a series of four square terraces and three elliptical platforms, culminating in a stupa, representing the centre of the universe.
The foot of the building and the walls of the terraces display narrative scenes from a number of religious texts. Lowest are images from the Mahakarmavibhanga that tell of the law of cause and effect in the cycles of rebirth. Jataka stories (narratives of the Buddha’s previous lives), avadana tales (stories of heroic deeds), and the life of Gautama Buddha occupy the first and second terraces. The scenes from the life of the Buddha originated with the Lalitavistara, a text that narrates events through Gautama’s enlightenment. Starting on the inner wall of the second terrace and filling the third and fourth terraces is a detailed replication of the Gandavyuha, the story of the youth Sudhana and his quest for Buddhist wisdom. Represented in Javanese settings, all of these scenes provide information on contemporary life when the monument was built.

Above the walls of the terraces are hundreds of seated Buddhas, each representing one of the five cosmic Buddhas. There are also Buddha images inside the 72 small stupas with perforated sides that rest on the three elliptical platforms forming the upper part of Borobudur. This head comes from these representations.

This head shows some of the special characteristics of a Buddha. The raised spot on the forehead represents a third eye – a sign of spiritual insight, and the raised dome on his head – like a bun – is a symbol of wisdom.