Palembang: Old town with sustainable development<\/p>\n
By Bambang Budi Utomo<\/p>\n
Yesterday President Soeharto inaugurated the Ancient Park of the
\nKingdom of Sriwijaya in Palembang. The event confirmed theories that
\nPalembang was once the capital of Sriwijaya, one of the most powerful
\nkingdoms in the Indonesian archipelago. The following article to
\nexplain how the city developed into a trade and religious center.<\/p>\n
PALEMBANG, South Sumatra (JP): \"Prosperity. Good fortune. The Saka year
\nof 686, the second day of crescent moon,Caitra (March 23 of 684); it is the
\ndate when the construction of this garden, named Srisektra, is started
\nunder direct supervision by King Jayanasa. This is the wish of the King:
\nMay all the trees to be planted in this park -- coconuts, areca nuts, sugar
\npalm, sago palm -- their fruits can be had by the people. So will the
\nbamboo . . . \".<\/p>\n
These are the first sentences in the foreword of the Talang Tuo epigraph.
\nIt was uncovered in Talang Tuo village, about ten kilometers northwest of
\nPalembang. The epigraph marked the inauguration and opening of a park that
\nwas built 1310 years ago by Dapunta Hiyang Sri Jayanasa, founder and leader
\nof the Kadatuan of Sriwijaya.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, to coincide with the commemoration of the Indonesian Women's
\nDay, President Soeharto inaugurated the Ancient Park of the Kingdom of
\nSriwijaya. The city of Palembang now has two parks inaugurated by two
\nleaders, namely the king of the Kadatuan of Sriwijaya and the president of
\nthe Republic of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Ancient Park of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya was built in a village
\ncalled Karanganyar, about five kilometers west of Palembang's city center,
\non a hilly piece of land.<\/p>\n
Archeological research conducted at this location, which included
\nanalyses of plant powder found in the soil, managed to identify the genres
\nof plants in the epigraph.<\/p>\n
The park must have provided solace to the entire city, particularly
\nbecause the plants there bore ample fruit. The construction of this park
\ncompleted the construction of the city.<\/p>\n
The growth of Palembang as the center of the government of Sriwijaya is
\nnot surprising if you take into account that communications and trade had
\nbeen intense for some time. This enabled the citizens to progress. Later,
\nwhen trade with China, India and Arabia was growing tremendously, the
\npeople of Sriwijaya were ready to grab the opportunities. They already had
\nthe administrative and service skills and the capability to find resources
\nfrom outside.<\/p>\n
Although Palembang was once the capital of Kadatuan Sriwijaya, the
\nremains of buildings found don't reflect its function. Why?<\/p>\n
Natural conditions specific to this area may be the answer. The
\nsettlement system in Sriwijaya remained rural in character, as nature
\nprovided the people with ample construction materials suitable for rural
\nsettlement. The land was swampy and was surrounded by tropical forests that
\nprovided a lot of wood and bamboo. It was these natural resources that
\ninfluenced the people to maintain their village-based settlement. They
\nbuilt stilted and raft houses on the rivers.<\/p>\n
This is different from thee Malay mainland where cities were more
\ndeveloped. Sand and gravel were more readily available so buildings were
\nconstructed using these materials. Palembang was different from the cities
\non the Malay peninsula. The capital must have been comprised of wood or
\nbamboo houses. Only a small number of sacred buildings were constructed
\nfrom red bricks.<\/p>\n
That was Palembang between the 7th and the 13th Centuries, when a
\ngovernment in the form of Kadatuan ruled the area. The government was first
\nheaded by someone with the honorable title of Dapunta -- Dapunta Hiyang Sri
\nJayanasa. This ruler discovered and built the city of Palembang. Today
\nPalembang has developed from a village-based settlement (wanua) into the
\nsecond largest city in Sumatra after Medan. Its population has grown from
\n20,000 to more than 1 million.<\/p>\n
Ecosystem<\/p>\n
\"I wish you security and prosperity. In the Saka year 604, on the
\neleventh day of the crescent moon of Waisakha (April 23, 682), Dapunta
\nHiyang rides a canoe to pick sidharyatra. On the seventh day of the
\ncrescent moon of Jyestah (May 19, 682), Dapunta Hiyang departs from
\nMinanga, taking with him a crowd of 20,000 soldiers, as well as two hundred
\ncrates of supplies transported on canoes as well as by 2,312 people who
\nwalk on foot. Then they reach mukha--p- in high spirit. On the fifth day of
\nthe crescent moon of Asadha (June 16, 682), with ease and exultation (he)
\narrives and builds (in this location) a settlement. (Thus) Sriwijaya wins,
\nthe journey is fruitful and (people) become prosperous ever after.\"<\/p>\n
This is the most complete historical record of the history of Palembang
\nand includes the dates when Dapunta Hiyang reached the right location on
\nwhich he was to build a settlement. The record, written in Pallawa script
\nin the old Malay language, was chiseled on a big rock. The rock was
\ndiscovered in Kedukan Bukit, west of Palembang, on Nov. 19, 1920 by
\nBatenburg. He found it in a house belonging to a Malay family.<\/p>\n
Palembang developed into a prosperous port city. This is a little
\nsurprising because the south of Sumatra did not have many resources that
\nwere in demand internationally. The resin, camphor and other resource
\ncenters were located in North Sumatra. It is rather strange that the
\nexporting port was located so far away from the production centers.<\/p>\n
The answer lies in the fact that Palembang is located on the intersection
\nof transportation lines. It is beside the Musi river and at the mouth of
\nthe Ogan and Kramasan rivers. It also lies between Java and mainland Asia.
\nCommodities were transported from the interior to Palembang to be marketed.
\nThese goods were then shipped to other areas. The increase in trade made
\nthe wanua built by Dapunta Hiyang in the year 682 up to the period of
\nSultan of Palembang Darussalam grow into what it is today.<\/p>\n
A town must have various public buildings. Places for worship, irrigation
\nand flood control mechanism are some examples. Several sites indicate the
\nexistence of religious activities in the past. You can still find remains
\nof public buildings at Bukit Siguntang, Pagaralam, Candi Angsoka (the
\nTemple of Angsoka), Lemahabang and Gedingsuro.<\/p>\n
These buildings were constructed on hills, rather far from settlements.
\nAccording to the zoning principle in the teachings of Buddha, settlements
\nshould be built to the south of Mount Meru. Therefore, sacred buildings in
\nPalembang are located to the north of the settlement sites.<\/p>\n
People believe that the most sacred place in the capital was Bukit
\nSiguntang at the Tanjung Rawa site. Situated on top of a 26 meter high
\nhill, there was to a four meter statue of Buddha. Around this statue,
\nseveral stupas made of red bricks were found. Houses for the caretakers may
\nhave been located at the foot of the hill. This conclusion is based on
\nsurveys conducted by L. C. Westenenk (a regent of Palembang in 1920s) and
\nSchnitger (a controller in Palembang), as well as research conducted by the
\nNational Center for Archeological Studies. At the time Westenenk and
\nSchnitger conducted their research in 1930s, they uncovered remains of
\nstupas on the top of Bukit Siguntang. The excavation carried out by the
\nCenter in 1989 and 1990 resulted in the discovery of foundations on the
\nwest side of Bukit Siguntang.<\/p>\n
Monk dormitories<\/p>\n
A written record attesting to the existence of public buildings in the
\ncenter of the city is found in the diary of I-tsing in the 680s. In his
\ndiary, I-tsing writes that in the fortified capital there were more than
\n1,000 Buddhist monks, all of whom devoted themselves to knowledge and
\npractice of the teachings of Buddha. They were much like the Madhya-desa in
\nIndia in their rules and religious rituals.<\/p>\n
He therefore suggested that all Chinese monks going to India to learn and
\nread original texts stay in Sriwijaya for two or three years to prepare
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
Based on I-tsing's accounts, we can conclude that there were sacred
\nbuildings, dormitories for the monks and students and libraries holding
\ntexts on Buddha in the capital.<\/p>\n
The existence of monasteries in the city is also indicated by remains
\ndiscovered at archeological sites east of Palembang. In both Lemahabang and
\nGedingsuro many small (8-10 cm) Buddha and Bodhisattwa statues were found.
\nBronze statues, some of which were gold-plated, were usually found in
\nmonasteries. Clay stupas were also found.<\/p>\n
Inside these stupas were clay tablets, on which Buddha's mantra were
\nwritten. An earlier excavation conducted at Lamahabang in 1973 uncovered
\nmore than 400 clay stupas and a statue of Bodhisatta Awalokiteswara. These
\nstupas resemble the ones found in Borobudur, Banyuwangi and Bali. Some of
\nthe clay tablets feature pre-Nagari scriptures, the majority of which tell
\nabout the teachings of Buddha (Dharma text). Based on the shape of the
\nscript, we know that they were made between the 7th and 10th centuries. The
\nwritings were usually used in the monasteries. The exact material used to
\nbuild the monasteries has not been discovered.<\/p>\n
There was no red brick found at Lamahabang. This leads us to conclude
\nthat the complex was constructed with materials that have decayed, like
\nwood and bamboo. Buildings at Gedingsuro, however, were made from red
\nbrick. Ruins, coinciding with the Kingdom of Sriwijaya, were uncovered
\nabout 200 meters to the north of the Percandian Gedingsuro site. The site
\nitself is not considered to be as old as the kingdom. The building complex
\nwas apparently built between the 14th and the 15th centuries.<\/p>\n
To the north of the Percandian Gedingsuro site, on a piece of land about
\nfive meters higher than the rest of the site itself, more than 40 bronze
\nand metal statues were uncovered in 1988. In addition, a fairly large
\nnumber of red bricks were unearthed. These bricks were larger in size than
\nthose found at the Percandian Gedingsuro site. The bricks must have been
\nused for the foundations or flooring of the wooden buildings. The building
\ncomplex might have been dormitories for the monks, with smaller sacred
\nbuildings (similar to chapels) in which they conducted their daily rituals.<\/p>\n
Bambang Budi Utomo is a graduate of the department of archeology,
\nUniversity of Indonesia, and a researcher with the National Center for
\nArcheological Researches.<\/p>",
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