Writings of Borobudur: Making sense of an Early Modern Javanese manuscript within the production of archaeological knowledge in Indonesia

As a heritage site today, Borobudur is arguably constructed from stories of ancient grandeur, regrettable loss, and colonial rescue, infused with lingering aesthetics construction. This paper discusses the historical deconstruction process knowledge production by analysing Babad Tanah Jawi manuscript produced late 18th century to early 19th Javanese courts. The result shows that during Early Modern Java, held significant spiritual quality for local communities, unlike previous interpretation authorities.