The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

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JAVA 451
sion of the world of desire. The presence of that
world - even though unseen - was, however,
magically necessary for the symbolism of the
monument: its metaphysical mechanism demanded
this basement as an integral part, just
as the simplest magic diagram, in order to
'work', requires a certain number of fixed lines
or circles.
The opinions on the outward form of Barabudur
have been most eloquently and conclusively
set forth by Paul Mus. The 1
total mass
is a dome cut by galleries - trenches open to the
sky [384 and 385] - which disappear from view
when the monument is looked at in profile. The
outline then becomes that of a stupa. What we
have is a pyramid or prasada inside a stupa, the