Archeological relics discovered in Banyumas<\/p>\n
By Agus Maryono<\/p>\n
PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Two statues of Buddha, possibly
\nmade of pure gold, were recently discovered in a grave in a
\nforest near Cikakak village in Banyumas district.<\/p>\n
The statues, 9 cm and 7 cm tall respectively, were discovered
\nat around 2 a.m. on Kliwon, the most sacred day in Javanese
\nculture, by Muchamad Ruchiyat, who has spent almost half of his
\nlife in pesantren (boarding schools in which the Koran is
\nstudied).<\/p>\n
This find was followed later by the discovery of other items
\nof archeological interest, also assumed to be made of pure gold.
\nTwo 4-cm statues of Semar, a character from traditional Javanese
\nshadow puppetry, with eyes made of shiny reddish gemstones; a 5-
\ncm statue of emban (a Javanese nursemaid) made of yellow metal;
\nand a number of other artifacts made of a yellow colored metal,
\nincluding two in the shape of a matchbox, a 15-cm statue of a
\nsnake, and a metal object in the shape of an egg. Javanese script
\nhas been engraved on all these objects.<\/p>\n
Ruchiyat, 33, a father of one, said that he received a divine
\nmessage while meditating that told him the two statues had been
\nburied for 1,873 years.<\/p>\n
When The Jakarta Post reporters met him in his house on June
\n9, Ruchiyat, born in Garut, West Java, described his tiring
\nspiritual journey before finally discovering the treasures in a
\nsite 300 meters away from his house.<\/p>\n
\"I had to spend 40 nights reciting passages from the Holy
\nKoran and meditating on a Buddhist grave before I was finally
\ndirected by divine hand to the site of the treasures,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He claimed that he uses his supernatural powers when digging
\nfor archeological objects and said that in doing so he had often
\nbeen disturbed by other supernatural phenomena which almost
\ncaused him to give up his attempt.<\/p>\n
Another divine revelation has told him of the presence in the
\nsame cemetery of two Buddha stone statues inlaid with jewels,
\nmeasuring 2 meters and 70 cm respectively, he said.<\/p>\n
He said he had asked a Buddhist monk in Yogyakarta for his
\nhelp to locate the two Buddha statues after a monk from Cilacap
\nwhom he had approached said that he was unable to help.<\/p>\n
He has been searching for these two statues for some time now.
\nWith the help of nine villagers, he has dug two holes, 8 meters
\nand 3 meters deep respectively. However, his search has
\ntemporarily come to an end because he feels that there is a flow
\nof unfamiliar supernatural power at the digging site.<\/p>\n
Process of discovery<\/p>\n
Wirid (the recital of Koranic passages) is part of Ruchiyat's
\nlife because he has spent so many years in pesantren. One of his
\nspiritual teachers has taught him a special kind of wirid, one
\nthat helps him to achieve the results which he gets.<\/p>\n
Saka Tunggal Mosque, in which Ruchiyat usually conducts his
\nwirid, lies on the opposite bank of the river which flows past
\nhis house.<\/p>\n
On one occasion of wirid and meditation, Ruchiyat receive a
\ndivine message saying that some valuable objects were to be found
\nin the vicinity of the mosque and that it was his duty to recover
\nand look after them. The divine revelation clearly showed the
\nsite where the objects were located, but gave no clues as to what
\nthese objects looked like.<\/p>\n
He discovered that the site was a Buddhist grave, of which
\nthere are a further four in the area, then went to see Kartani,
\n50, the owner of the land in which the graves are located, to
\nseek permission to begin excavating the site.<\/p>\n
Kartani told the Post that the black slabbed graves had
\nexisted for a long time, and that although he did not know whose
\ngraves they were, had decided to look after them.<\/p>\n
Before the dig began, Ruchiyat conducted a spiritual rite. He
\nand five locals spent a total of seven days meditating and
\nreciting Koranic passages on the Buddhist graves in a rite which
\nended on May 15.<\/p>\n
After an agreement with the souls guarding the grave was
\nreached, the dig began. During the first stage of the excavation,
\ntwo statues of Buddha were recovered. Then the other objects, 13
\nin total, were reclaimed from the earth over a one month period.
\nThe last find, a statue of a snake, was discovered on Friday,
\nJune 5. During the course of the excavation, Ruchiyat and his
\nassistants dug three holes, one to a depth of 6 meters .<\/p>\n
One of the diggers, Japon, 40, who also participated in the
\nmeditation beforehand, admitted that while digging the holes he
\nfelt a hot sensation. On account of this, Ruchiyat asked all nine
\ndiggers to hold their breath for four minutes upon each
\noccurrence after which they recite certain passages from the
\nKoran. This drove away whatever was causing the supernatural
\nphenomena an any natural gas that was present.<\/p>\n
The diggers have been taking turns to meditate on the graves
\nin the area. They said that during their meditation they received
\nguidance on how to conduct their excavations. Japon followed this
\nguidance and found two yellow metal pieces in the shape of a
\nmatchbox.<\/p>\n
Strange<\/p>\n
According to Ruchiyat, the items recovered are strange.<\/p>\n
\"The two Buddha statues, for example, shine and radiate
\ndifferent colors at night -- burning red, dazzling yellow,
\namazing blue or turning pitch black,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He himself has no knowledge of the meaning of these different
\ncolors. That's why he cannot be sure whether these statues are
\nmade of gold or another type of metal. He has yet to take them to
\nan expert to ascertain their composition.<\/p>\n
Another strange phenomenon is that these artifacts from time
\nto time send out a stream of hot air which can cause burn wounds,
\nhe said, showing his two thumbs which were burnt black when he
\ntouched the two statues.<\/p>\n
Ruchiyat also said that the divine guidance he received also
\ntold him that these objects could not be taken out of Cikakak
\nvillage. So, he and his assistants have made an oath, the \"Oath
\nof the Discoverers\" that they will ensure these objects stay in
\nthe village and will resist any attempts to remove them to the
\nlast drop of blood. The oath has been put into writing and signed
\nby Ruchiyat and his eight assistants.<\/p>\n
The head of the culture and archeological relics section in
\nthe Banyumas office of the Ministry of Education and Culture,
\nFauzan, said that his office had sent a team to the site of the
\ndiscovery to study the objects.<\/p>\n
However, the team's efforts were thwarted by the \"Oath of the
\nDiscoverers\". Therefore they contacted the Central Java
\narcheological research office and the management of Prambanan
\ntemple to ask for help in gaining access to the Cikakak village
\nartifacts.<\/p>\n
A further study of the objects revealed that they apparently
\nhad significant historical values related to the teaching of
\nBuddha in the southern part of Central Java, according to
\nYusmanto, from the Banyumas culture office. It is also assumed
\nthat they might have something to do with a kingdom in Banyumas,
\nKadipaten Pasir Luhur, which was the origin of the town of
\nBanyumas. So far, there is no official data or historical reports
\nabout the kingdom.<\/p>\n
Gutomo, the head of the team, believed that the metal object
\nin the shape of an egg, which was also discovered in the village,
\nwas made during the era of either the Mataram kingdom or the
\nPajang kingdom in the 17th century.<\/p>\n
What surprised them was the discovery of two Buddha statues
\nand a Semar statue in the same location, even though they were
\nfrom different histories. Buddha and Buddhism are related to
\nIndia, while Semar is known to be part of Javanese culture.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/archeological-relics-discovered-in-banyumas-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}