Keeping Moss Away from Borobudur Temple
Borobudur is the temple with the most comprehensive and extensive collection of Buddhist reliefs in the world. Built from 60.000 cubic meters of andesite, or over one million stone blocks, the temple features at least 2.672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
One of the challenges in maintaining this building, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, is keeping moss and algae off the temple stones, especially during the current rainy season.
Borobudur Conservation Center officers said that one way to anticipate moss is to regularly spray it with water.
"If left alone and not sprayed with a certain pressure, moss and algae will grow," said the Head of the Borobudur Conservation Center, Marsis Sutopo in Borobudur, Thursday (9/2).
According to Marsis, because moss and algae continue to grow, spraying must be done regularly. Today on the north side, tomorrow on the west side, then the south side, and then on the east side, so that the spraying continues.
He explained that this activity cannot completely eliminate moss. However, it's intended to prevent moss from growing on the relief, let alone covering it.
"If the relief is covered in moss, it will look very ugly and could disrupt its sustainability in the future," he said.
According to Marsis, spraying with water also supports manual cleaning using a coconut fiber brush. Simply sweeping without following up with water will only spread moss.
"Spraying with water will cause the remaining moss to be carried away by the water flow and fall at the ends of the drainage on the slopes around the temple," he said.
He said that during the rainy season, the temple stones are prone to moss growing, because moss grows during the rainy season.
Borobudur Temple is a historical relic that remains a popular destination for both local and international tourists. In 2016, the number of visitors reached 3,7 million. The target for 2015 is 3,9 million.
