| Abstract: |
This paper compares the sacred space of Borobudur (c. 8th-9th centuries AD) in central Java and the Tabo Monasterys main temple (founded AD 996) in the Spiti valley, India through an examination of their nearly contemporary use of two prominent iconographic elements: the three-dimensional Vajradhatu mandala and narratives of the Pilgrimage of Sudhana and the Life of the Buddha. These fundamental iconographic elements are combined in each monument to produce two profound Buddhist royal structures that express Mahayanist and Tantric principles and seek to legitimize the authority of their patrons. Borobudur and Tabos common textual basis reveals significant information regarding the international character of Buddhism during the period of their construction and the complex historical interactions between the two regions. This paper seeks to explain their iconographic and philosophic connections in the context of the movement of scholars and ideas across Asia during the 9th to 11th centuries. At first glance, the great Buddhist monuments of Borobudur in central Java (c. 8th-9th centuries AD) and the Tabo Monasterys main temple (<i>gtsug-lag-khang</i>
founded AD 996) in the lower Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh, India do not reveal any striking similarities. Borobudar is a monumental, multi-tiered stone structure situated in the lush Kedu plain, whereas the Tabo <i>gtsug-lag-khang</i> is a single-storied, nondescript mud brick structure in the arid, high-altitude landscape of the Himalayan Mountains. As the viewer moves closer to examine each monument in detail from within, similarities between the two temples become apparent despite their disparate geographies and outward appearances. Borobudur and Tabo share common themes and religious philosophies depicted in their complex iconographic programs and the three-dimensional mandala organization of their architectural space.
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