Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c46.3

c46.3

The western region possessing no architectural records, a study of the subject begins with the central division, termed Mid-Java, where on a site known as the Djeng Plateau, a group of Vaishnavite temples was erected about the eighth century A.D. These Hindu temples represent the earliest phase of the building art in Java. About a century later, the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism began to make their appeal to the people, and for some considerable time, as shown by their monuments, the two religions flourished side by side. This combined movement led to the consummation of the architectural effort in the island, referred to as the Golden Age, where in Mid-Java, in an area not far removed from the more recent capital of Jokyakarta, the finest examples were created, culminating in the grandest of all Buddhist buildings the stupa of Borobudur (c. 850 A.D.). Then, early in the tenth century, for some reason hitherto unexplained, the erection of buildings of all forms abruptly ceased, authority in the centre was relinquished, and no further constructional activity in this part of the country is recorded. The Golden Age of Javanese architecture was ended.