TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsRiverbank erosion threatens 1,000-year-old historic site in Purworejo
The tree is regarded as a significant historical landmark in Purworejo, marking the area where ancient inscriptions were discovered.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The Amboyna tree (Pterocarpus indicus), where the Ara Hiwang Kayu inscriptions, dating back to around 901 AD, were discovered. The tree, located in the Arahiwang Arts and Cultural Center area in Borowetan Village, Banyuurip District, Purworejo Regency, Central Java, is considered one of the regency’s most important historical sites and is now at risk due to riverbank erosion along the nearby Bogowonto River. (courtesy of/Purworejo administration)
S
evere riverbank erosion along the Bogowonto River in Purworejo regency, Central Java, is threatening a historic site associated with the discovery of the Ara Hiwang Kayu inscriptions, which date back to around 901 AD.
The erosion has gradually advanced toward an Amboyna tree (Pterocarpus indicus) located near the site, raising concerns that continued land degradation could damage the surrounding landscape and put the integrity of the heritage area at risk if no mitigating actions are taken.
The tree is regarded as a significant historical landmark in Purworejo, marking the area where the ancient inscriptions were discovered.
The Ara Hiwang inscription dates back to the era of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom, a Javanese Hindu–Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 10th centuries.
The inscription, written in Old Javanese script on a stone slab, records the designation of Ara Hiwang Kayu village as a sima area, tax-exempt land whose revenues were redirected to fund public works such as places of worship, bridges, dams and other communal infrastructure.
The inscription also lists the royal officials who attended the sima inauguration ceremony, as well as ceremonial offerings presented to them, including gold and textiles.
The inscription is dated to the fifth day of the Krsnapaksa in the month of Asuji, year 823 Saka (Javanese-Hindu lunar calendar), equivalent to October 5, 901 AD. Based on this dating, Purworejo regency initially adopted the date as its official anniversary.
