The triad of wonders (Mendut chandi, Pawon chandi, and Bharabudhara chandi) standing in a straight row, forms a symbolic unity. In the most older of the three, the Mendut chandi, a 3 meter high statue of Buddha carved from one piece of stone, represents an imposing expression of homage to the preacher of the faith of deliverance. Less than 2 kilometers away, separated by the rivers of Elo and Progo, lies smaller Pawon, a jewel of Javanese temple architecture. In all probability this temple served as a stop to purify the mind, before ascending Bharabudhara chandi. A mere fifteen hundred meters from Pawon chandi, a stone hill of terrasses arises, the Bharabudhara with its 100s of Buddhas. When making the tour of the galleries with their high-set balusterses under the heavenly canopy, one may imagine being in a temple. Saying one’s prayers, passing along the two and a half kilometers of reliefs to the crown of the sanctuary, resembles a passage along an altar up to the hope for fulfilment. The Pilgrim Father or he who hopes to attain Boddhisatva, enters Mendut chandi in honour of the Buddha. Bharabudhara chandi, nevertheless, is like a prayer attended by the prayer beads of reliefs and graces. It rises to nirvana towards the acquisition of Buddhaship, the absolute deliverance from the cycle of perpetual reincarnation.

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Narasumber: Moerdowo,R.M.