A Study On The Image Of "Kala And Mahal" On The Arch Of Borobudu

The full text is based on Chandi Borobudur built by the Shailéndra dynasty in Central Java,Indonesia,and takes the kāla image in the center of the lintel and makāra images on both sides of the bottom of the door frame as the research objects,mainly discussing the special significance of the two in the whole monument.It is precisely because kāla and makāra images frequently appear at the entrance in Hindu and Buddhist Chandi in Central Java,and have not attracted enough attention from scholars,so I hope to enrich the study of Java culture and Borobudur constructed by kāla and makāra images through a case study.This paper is divided into three chapters.The core issue discussed is the symbolism of kāla and makāra images on the arch in the whole space,which involves the good and evil attribute of themselves and the understanding of Java people on the concept of Universe and Sa?sāra thought of the Buddhist.The first chapter mainly analyzes the image features,text,and schematic sources of kāla in the tympanum center of Borobudur.In view of the fuzziness of the image features of kāla in the literature,it should be the result of integrating the image features of kīrtimukha and the functions of god of Death and Time in purāna,and docking with the low-level lust of the Batara Guru in Java legend.The schema sources are based on combing kāla images of Central Java and East Java and kīrtimukha images of India.On the one hand,it originated from the foreshadowing of lintel patterns of Hindu Chandi such as the temple group on the Dieng Plateau and the Gedong Sanga before Borobudur.On the other hand,it is the influence of the Nalanda temples of Pala Dynasty and the inheritance of the clan Shailéndra to the traditional schema of the temples in South India.The second chapter discusses the relationship between kāla and the images around the arch,thinking about the lintel images of parrots,kinnaras,seers and sacred staircases as a whole,and combing the general characteristics of kāla and makāra images,it concludes the significance of the combination of arch images.The function of parrot images in the lintel is to guide the stray mortals.Don’t be greedy and jealous.With regard to kinnaras Jātaka and the drawing of Relief picture,they emphasize the idea of retribution for good and evil,and persuades the people to do nothing wrong,and all good deeds.Rshis have the ability to predict and guide,but they also have ignorance.And the sacred staircase reflects the importance of Bodhisattva Deeds and svartha-parartha.Kāla and makāra have two sides of good and evil: the former has the ability to create,destroy and devour,and is synonymous with Negative and Death;the latter obtains the ability of representing water to reproduce all things through the interpretation of makāra images in the early stūpa fence and tower gate in India,as well as the fishtail monster in the art of Gandhāra and Mathura.Complemented by Buddhist classics,it also saves maritime merchants,eats aquatic animals and ships,and symbolizes greed.Even though there are a large number of inscriptions in Central Java,it is often unhelpful to explain the meaning of kāla and makāra images,and there are four doors above the four doors,which makes the simple meaning of Protection and Separation of the door.Through the study of the integrity of the lintel,kāla and makāra images have the dynamic significance of Decontamination and Eliminating evil to support honest.The third chapter is to place the images of kāla and makāra in the Mahayana Buddhist monument of Borobudur,to explore the symbolic meaning of Borobudur,how kāla and makāra images on the arch symbolizes the Whole Universe and embodies the idea of Eternal Recurrence,it also involves the dissemination and belief of image.First of all,Borobudur is a Replica of the Universe,which not only retains Chandi as the place to pay tribute to ancestors or deified kings,but also represents Sumeru,Pagoda and Mandalas.Secondly,kāla and makāra images symbolize the Universe.Karmavibhangga in Hidden Base Relief,which explain the Principle of Cause and Effect with rich examples.Through the juxtaposition of heaven and hell,the pilgrims understand the difference between good and evil.kāla and makāra images are metaphors of good and evil,Heaven and the Underworld,fire and water,bright and darkness,which also conforms to the understanding of conflict in Java’s additive cultures.Thirdly,kāla and makāra images are the display of the concept of Sa?sāra in Buddhism.On the one hand,prasavya of the Borobudur pilgrim is followed in the rituals related to death and the power of the Underworld,and“left-handed” tantras is fairly common at that time.On the other hand,through the interpretation of “Wheel of Life” in Tibet and its connection with the ancient Java faith,supplemented by tantric related to reincarnation popular in the 8th and 9th centuries,and time view of the Buddhist is embodied by reliefs and Buddha statues of Borobudur,and combined with the functions of kāla and makāra images,it is concluded that the arch image conveys the spirit of Reincarnation.Finally,the symbolic significance of the images of kāla and makāra images not only affected the Chandi Kalasan and Chandi Lara Djonggrang in Central Java,the lintel in Angkor architecture,but also influenced the kāla culture in Bali.Although the islanders have their understanding of the universe and kāla,they still see the connection with the culture of Central Java and India.On the basis of the previous understanding,the modeling of the arch images kāla and makāra by Borobudur not only has the function of excluding the evil forces and separating the sacred space from the secular space,but also has the effect on the pilgrims.Due to the layout of the building itself,any interpretation of a single meaning is invalid.This article introduces the dynamic meaning of Decontamination and Eliminating evil to support honest,and puts forward an interpretation reflecting the concept of Eternal Recurrence from the perspective of Buddhism.This also reflects the importance of the Death and Life in Borobudur,Buddhist culture and Java faith.