Buddha Statues
Apart from the story of the Buddhist cosmology carved in stone, Borobudur has many statues of various Buddhas. The cross-legged statues are seated in a lotus position and distributed on the five square platforms (the Rupadhatu level) as well as on the top platform (the Arupadhatu level).
The Buddha statues are in niches at the Rupadhatu level, arranged in rows on the outer sides of the balustrades, the number of statues decreasing as platforms progressively diminish to the upper level. The first balustrades have 104 niches, the second 104, the third 88, the fourth 72 and the fifth 64. In total, there are 432 Buddha statues at the Rupadhatu level. At the Arupadhatu level (or the three circular platforms), Buddha statues are placed inside perforated stupas. The first circular platform has 32 stupas, the second 24 and the third 16, that add up to 72 stupas. Of the original 504 Buddha statues, over 300 are damaged (mostly headless) and 43 are missing (since the monument's discovery, heads have been stolen as collector's items, mostly by Western museums).
At first glance, all the Buddha statues appear similar, but there is a subtle difference between them in the mudras or the position of the hands. There are five groups of mudra: North, East, South, West and Zenith, which represent the five cardinal compass points according to Mahayana. The first four balustrades have the first four mudras: North, East, South and West, of which the Buddha statues that face one compass direction have the corresponding mudra. Buddha statues at the fifth balustrades and inside the 72 stupas on the top platform have the same mudra: Zenith. Each mudra represents one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas; each has its own symbolism.
Following the order of Pradakshina (clockwise circumumbulation) starting from the east, the mudras of the Borobudur buddha statues are:
| Statue | Mudra | Symbolic meaning | Dhyani Buddha | Cardinal Point | Location of the Statue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhumisparsa mudra | Calling the Earth to witness | Aksobhya | East | Rupadhatu niches on the first four eastern balustrades | |
| Vara mudra | Benevolence, alms giving | Ratnasambhava | South | Rupadhatu niches on the first four southern balustrades | |
| Dhyana mudra | Concentration and meditation | Amitabha | West | Rupadhatu niches on the first four western balustrades | |
| Abhaya mudra | Courage, fearlessness | Amoghasiddhi | North | Rupadhatu niches on the first four northern balustrades | |
| Vitarka mudra | Reasoning and virtue | Vairochana | Zenith | Rupadhatu niches in all directions on the fifth (uppermost) balustrade | |
| Dharmachakra mudra | Turning the Wheel of dharma (law) | Vairochana | Zenith | Arupadhatu in 72 perforated stupas on three rounded platforms |
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