Borobudur Temple is often seen as a grand symbol of Indonesia’s cultural heritage—a majestic structure crowned with stupas and decorated with Ramayana reliefs. Yet for painter Sohieb Toyaroja, its true essence lies hidden in plain sight. By thoughtfully studying 1,460 narrative reliefs, Sohieb distilled their ancient wisdom into just nine personal and intimate paintings. His work invites us to rediscover Borobudur not as a distant monument, but as a living tapestry of human stories still waiting to be understood.
Sohieb’s reinterpretation draws from photographs in “1460 Guide Books to the Narrative Reliefs of the Borobudur Mahastupa” by Handoko Vijjananda, published by the Ehipassiko Foundation. Rather than simply reproducing these visuals, he re-presents them, offering a contemporary appreciation or new understanding of how artists, thousands of years ago, created sacred symbols in the reliefs of Borobudur Temple.
Of the vast number of reliefs, Sohieb selected nine for his exhibition: Samodra Raksa, Manohara, Raja-Raja (kings), Stupa, Jataka, Gajah Bodhisatwa (elephant), Sakre (sacred), Dewi Hariti, and Karakter Buddha (Buddha characters). These paintings were showcased at Tugu Kunstkring Paleis, Central Jakarta, from 12 July to 12 August 2025 under the title “Borobudur: The Way of Life.”
“I’ve long been drawn to painting, history, and tradition,” Sohieb explained.
His understanding was shaped not only by conversations with journalists, archaeologists, and philologists but also by his travels, which he often describes as spiritual observations.
“I find wisdom in relics, temples, and ancient markers of civilisation. These are symbols of ancestral knowledge, and as a Javanese artist, I feel a responsibility to internalise and reinterpret them.”
For the Kediri-born painter, Borobudur’s significance goes beyond its status as the world’s largest Buddhist temple or a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nor is his interest driven by recent controversies like the installation of a chairlift during a presidential visit. Instead, what drew him was the philosophy carved into its walls: timeless teachings and piwulang (lessons), meant to guide life.
Among the nine pieces, Sohieb considers Samodra Raksa the centrepiece of the exhibition—and not without reason. This relief, depicting an ancient ship, serves as evidence of a sophisticated maritime civilisation that once flourished in the archipelago. The ship’s distinct sail and construction reflect early mastery of navigation and maritime technology. Centuries ago, vessels like these sailed as far as Madagascar, South Africa, and Ghana. The eighth-century Syailendra dynasty understood star navigation, monsoon winds, and the rhythms of the sea. This ancient maritime prowess later shaped the design of traditional Indonesian ships like those with double outriggers and the tanja sail.
Another profound piece is Manohara, inspired by the love story of Prince Sudhana and the celestial nymph Manohara. Their romance, marked by trials and longing, carries the timeless themes of love, loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. The painting symbolises the harmony between the Earth and the divine, with the couple’s trials representing the challenges all humans face in their pursuit of spiritual awakening.
Deeper reflections emerge in Sakre, a painting rooted in the sacred Jataka and Avadana tales depicted on Borobudur’s upper panels. These stories offer lessons of compassion, altruism, and unity. At its core, Sakre conveys a simple yet profound message: the importance of living a life of service to others.
In Stupa, Sohieb revisits Borobudur’s most iconic symbol, not as mere architecture, but as a spiritual axis. The stupa represents the journey from samsara—the cycle of birth and rebirth—towards ultimate liberation, where the soul transcends suffering and reaches enduring freedom.
In essence, these nine paintings serve as a kind of book of life, one that Buddhists might interpret through the teachings of the Tripitaka, and people of other faiths can draw upon as universal wisdom reflected in their own sacred scripts. They challenge us to engage with an ancient visual language, distinct from Western interpretations of Eastern temples.
For Sohieb, Borobudur is more than just a stone monument; it is a mirror of life itself. Through his work, he invites us to rediscover wimba, the visual construction of understanding, a language of Eastern art centred on wira rupa (fine arts) that has largely been neglected since the tenth century. Although Borobudur was “rediscovered” by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814 after centuries hidden in dense jungle, its deeper visual narratives remained overlooked.
Now, through his art, Sohieb excavates these stories once more, standing alongside archaeologists, philologists, and historians, not to explain Borobudur, but to let its forgotten visual language speak again.
