This research was inspired by a desire to explore the relationship of two significant works of religious architecture. Borobudur and the Kumbum which appear to have many similarlities but separated both temporally (one being 8th century, the other being 15th century) and geographically. The communication of ideas between Indonesia and Tibet also stirred interest. For example one of the greatest Tibetan religious scholars, Atisa, spent twelve years training with his teacher in Sumatra in the early 11th century prior to assisting with the re-introduction of Buddhism in Tibet. He is associated with an extensive religious building program in Tibet. This could have been one eaample of where Indonesian Buddhist architectural concepts were brought to Tibet. The hypothesis that there was a relationship between the two monuments was first put forward by Professor Tucci in 1940s. He drew attention to the strong similarity between Borobudur and the Kumbum despite the enormous differences in environment and geographical location between the two. The original plan of the research was to trace the cross cultural links between Indonesia and Tibet by a survey of religious structures that were re-creations of three dimensional mandalas. Dr. Adrian Snodgrass, my supervisor, advised that a comparative analysis of just two buildings would result in a more focused study. This would increase the likelihood of revealing associational links between the two places and highlight universal characteristics shared by a similar structures.
