Musical Instrument Reliefs at Borobudur: A Semiotic Interpretation of Music and Cultural Heritage Value in Mahayana Buddhist Culture

Abstract

Background and Aims: This study explores the musical culture represented in the bas-relief carvings of the Borobudur stupa in Central Java, Indonesia. The research aims to investigate the cultural significance of musical imagery depicted in the reliefs and to understand the role of music in social, ceremonial, and religious contexts during the 8th–9th centuries. It also seeks to interpret these visual representations through the lens of cultural studies and semiotic analysis. Although Borobudur has been studied extensively as architecture and as Buddhist iconography, the musical imagery carved on the monument has rarely been treated as a systematic object of organological and semiotic analysis; this study addresses that gap.

Methodology: A qualitative research approach was employed through field observations at Borobudur and documentary research. Data were analyzed using a cultural studies framework based on the semiotic theory of Roland Barthes. The study focused on identifying and interpreting musical instrument carvings found in the bas-reliefs and examining their symbolic meanings within the cultural and religious context of Mahayana Buddhism. A corpus of N relief panels containing musical imagery was documented photographically and analysed through Barthes’ three orders of signification denotation, connotation, and myth following an explicit coding framework.

Results: The findings reveal that the musical instrument carvings located on the lower level of Borobudur correspond to the concept of Kamadhatu, the realm of sensual desire in Mahayana Buddhist cosmology. These carvings provide valuable evidence of historical musical traditions in the region and demonstrate the important role of music in daily life, ceremonial activities, and spiritual practices. Furthermore, the reliefs indicate that music functioned as a medium for expressing social status, cultural values, religious beliefs, and collective identity.

Conclusion: The study highlights the close relationship between music and religion within the sacred environment of Borobudur. The musical imagery preserved in the bas-reliefs reflects the enduring influence of music on cultural and spiritual life throughout history. Moreover, the research contributes to the preservation and understanding of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, supporting Sustainable Development Goal 11, which promotes the safeguarding of cultural heritage for future generations. Methodologically, the study proposes a three-order semiotic framework for interpreting musical imagery on Buddhist monuments in which organological identification precedes symbolic interpretation, and which is transferable to comparable monuments in Southeast Asia.