Letter: More heritage work needed

Tue, 02/19/2008 11:40 AM | Reader's Forum

My respect and admiration go to Hashim Djojohadikusumo for sponsoring the return of the Minto Stone and for caring about our heritage. Many businessmen in Indonesia just do not care. There are many archeological artifacts and historical items pertaining to Indonesia's past in museums all over the world as well as in the hands of private collections.

I just returned from Banda Aceh and told our Aceh friends there that I have seen the rencong which belonged to Panglima Polim in the Bronbeek museum in Arnhem. This should be returned to the people of Aceh and should be kept in their museum.

In 1998 I visited the Ratu Boko site outside Yogyakarta. A farmer told us of a newly discovered temple not far from Yogyakarta, near Kedulan village, which was being unearthed by archeologists and students from the Gadjah Mada University. This site is located in the middle of cornfields. The summit (top layer) and the second layer of this temple were already unearthed and lying in perfect condition near this site.

A caretaker told us that the temple dated back to the ninth century and also that 22 statues in perfect condition were discovered and were being kept safely at the archeological center of Prambanan at that time. We photographed a stone pedestal lying near the edge of the pit, a turtle with a huge cobra on its back.

In 2005 we visited this site again, the pit was flooded by heavy rain and the remaining part of the temple was not visible. Another caretaker was at the site and said that the archeological center nearby ran out of money and could not resume the work. It was just as we left it in 1998. At the archeological center we inquired about the 22 statues but the lady in charge told us that they had never heard about the discovery of said statues, which have now apparently disappeared into the hands of private collectors. We did not see the stone pedestal with the turtle and cobra. The lady showed us two stone prasasti which were unearthed near the site of the temple, the Sanscrit scripture that explains land taxes and irrigation laws.

Hopefully Hashim will be able to help with the excavation of this temple and could also investigate the disappearance of the 22 statues and the stone pedestal.

LYNNA VAN DER ZEE-OEHMKE
Bogor, West Jawa.

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