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Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas Paperback – February 28, 2017

by John N. Miksic (Author), Anita Tranchini (Photographer), Marcello Tranchini (Photographer)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
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With vivid photography and insightful commentary, this travel pictorial shines a light on the Buddhist art and architecture of Borobudur.

The glorious ninth-century Buddhist stupa of Borobudur—the largest Buddhist monument in the world—stands in the midst of the lush Kedu Plain of Central Java in Indonesia, where it is visited annually by over a million people.

Borobudur contains more than a thousand exquisitely carved relief panels extending along its many terraces for a total distance of more than a kilometer. These are arranged so as to take the visitor on a spiritual journey to enlightenment, and one ascends the monument past scenes depicting the world of desire, the life story of Buddha, and the heroic deeds of other enlightened beings—finally arriving at the great circular terraces at the top of the structure that symbolizes the formless world of pure knowledge and perfection.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tuttle Publishing
  4. Publication date
    February 28, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    10.5 x 0.6 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780804848565
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0804848565
  8. See all details
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About the Author

John N. Miksic, an archaeologist born in the USA, has lived in Southeast Asia since 1968. He has written numerous books on Indonesian sites and artifacts.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0804848564
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tuttle Publishing; Reprint edition (February 28, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780804848565
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804848565
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.87 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.5 x 0.6 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Gunther
5.0 out of 5 stars The Search For Wisdom
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2008
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The author and photographers of "Borobudur: Golden Tales of the Buddhas" have done a great service, by presenting such a clear and accurate account of the history, architecture, and reliefs of the monument, and by including so many full-page, full-color photos. Their take-home message is that the Borobudur monument was an ancient teaching tool and a realization in stone of the search for wisdom, in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. One proof of the book's usefulness is that it has actually managed to stay in print, over the dozen years since it was first published. I believe that reading it will inspire many people to visit the site, and will be very helpful to them in understanding it.

I wish the book had illustrated even more of the reliefs, but the selection it gives us is still generous enough, and well representative of the monument as a whole. Three cheers for a high-quality book, that is both informative and enjoyable to read.
5 people found this helpful
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Erlina Putri Wijayanti
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and informative book. Recommended seller
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2019
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The item as per seller’s description. Delivery is fast.
The book itself is beautiful with many pictures and illustrations.
The content also informative and easy to understand.
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sritaraj
4.0 out of 5 stars pay respect to an ancient power
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2015
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This book provide a broad information for general public with an idea how it was discover and after. Photograph and diagram were adequate to understand the majestic layer out of Borobudur. Very good effort of the writer to put together these informations indicated the power behind this magnificent monument .
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MC5
5.0 out of 5 stars Soooooooo glad I had this book when I visited Borobudur last ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2016
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Soooooooo glad I had this book when I visited Borobudur last summer--the best i have ever read on this amazing temple.
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D A Booth
3.0 out of 5 stars Read for the visuals
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2016
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Essentially a description of the stories told by the frescoes, shown in glorious photographs. Archaeology and history not so much.
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Long time Mac user
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb explanation of major historic site
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2009
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I very much enjoyed the photography and found the explanation of the structure and sculptures of Borobudur fascinating. I hope to visit there, but even if I do not, this virtual visit has expanded my horizons.
3 people found this helpful
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PBjW
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2009
I read this book back in 1991 before my first visit to Borobudur and found it a great introduction to the site for sure, but also to Indonesian history and Buddhism. February 2009 I returned to Borobudur for my third visit and despite being older and much more knowledgeable about Javanese history and culture, not to mention Buddhist texts and iconography, decided to re-read Borobudur. Only now, eighteen years later, can I really appreciate what a remarkably fine volume this is. The micro-focus is Borobudur, but the book additionally has chapters on all the most relevant elements of Javanese history and culture that put the story of Borobudur into focus. For example, because the decorative panels include carvings of the previous lives of the Buddha and other "heroic deeds", the most important Jataka tales and Avadanas are included. There are chapters on Borobudur as a mountain, as a stupa, as a mandala; there are chapters on Buddhism in Java, Buddhist architecture, how Borobudur must have been built, and how it was found and reclaimed. I have quite a few books on Borobudur, but in the hindsight of several visits to the site and years of study, I now realize this is simply the best book ever written on the single largest Buddhist monument in the world. Whether you visit Borobudur in person or are an armchair traveler, this is the guidebook you need.
20 people found this helpful
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Paul Lawrence
4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and readable quasi-coffee table book
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2011
Situated within a short drive of the city of Yogyakarta, on the island of Java in Indonesia, is the worlds largest Buddhist Stupa. Built in the 9th century and much restored with a loving and diligent hand over the years it stands as one of the prime tourist attractions not only of Java but of the whole Indonesian archipelago. It's certainly an imposing achievement of architecture built at a time when Europe was going through it's `Dark Ages'.

This landscape shaped book is full to bursting with colour photographs of the site, from overall shots of the structure itself - including historical photos of the restorations - through to photographs of individual sections of the myriad sculptured panels that tell some of the stories of Buddhism and it's moral lessons. These photos should be enough to whet your appetite for travel to this site but there is more to this book than just lovely photography. There are also a number of line drawings as well as an explanation of the stories the panels describe as well as technical details of the stupas history and construction, as well as can be gleaned. In fact the first section of the book deals with the structures history and importance as well as alluding to the strong central authority which would have been required to create such a work.

I picked up my copy of this from Denpasar airport, Bali, as I wanted something to remember my visit to Borobudur by, something that wasn't just composed of plain textual facts and figures and, if nothing else, something I could show my friends and family back home and to do the stupa justice - far beyond what my own photographs could have done. Suffice to say that this book has succeeded both as momento and a cool curio to show friends back home.

If you are planning a trip to Indonesia and expect it to include Borobudur (and if you can escape the delectable clutches of Bali you should) then this book... actually may not be the thing that sways you. You can probably check out Borobodur easily enough on the net. Personally I really think the value of this book is that it is something satisfying in terms of text and photographs for you to buy AFTER you've seen Borobodur. But hey that's just IMHO.

A good buy that's for sure.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alexandre Villalongue
1.0 out of 5 stars PORTADA RALLADA CON BOLI ROJO!
Reviewed in Spain on December 20, 2019
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Me llegó con una pintada de boli rojo en la portada... Es un regalo y estoy muy decepcionado la verdad!
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NB
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in India on October 19, 2017
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A very nice read. Give some a thorough insight of the Borobudur temples.
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Miss Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book and lots of detail
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2018
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Very informative book explaining the history of Buddhism and how this is linked to the story of Borobudur. Saves on getting a guide when you are there. Only issue is some of the photos are very old. I would have bought the newer version to get better images if I had known.
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Michel Picard
5.0 out of 5 stars le meilleur guide pour visiter Borobudur
Reviewed in France on November 22, 2011
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Le temple de Borobudur présente des centaines de scènes sculptées au neuvième siècle qui sont magnifiques. Ce livre est le SEUL que j'ai trouvé qui permette une interprétation compréhensible des scènes qui ont été identifiées (à peu près la moitié). A tous ceux qui veulent visiter ce temple "sérieusement" c'est à dire en y passant plus des trois heures que les agents de voyages et les guides locaux proposent (ce qui constitue une visite bâclée très regrettable pour un site pareil), le livre permettra de mieux comprendre ce que l'on voit. Les illustrations de qualité et les commentaires généraux documentés et clairs sont très utiles. Il faudra cependant avant le voyage, construire à partir du livre, un petit plan numéroté résumant les principaux commentaires, pour ne pas avoir à chercher la correspondance des panneaux pendant la visite avec le livre qui serait trop encombrant.
4 people found this helpful
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Simon Paterson
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully composed book about a beautiful place.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2019
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Very informative. Pictures galore and an easy to follow text.
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