Ancient daggers on show

Ancient daggers on show

SURABAYA, East Java: Around 100 krises, ranging between 150
years and 1,000 years old, are being exhibited at Mpu Tantular
Museum until Aug. 29.

The 1,000-year-old "Bethok Budha" dagger from the 9th century
Airlangga Kingdom in Kediri is the oldest kris being exhibited.
The 150-year-old "Damar Murup" from Sumenep regency is the
youngest.

"The exhibition is being held to make the younger generation
aware of their ancient history", kris collector Soepriyo told
Antara on Saturday.

Soepriyo, who is also a staff member of the Surakarta-based
Center of Javanese Culture, said that the krises used to be owned
by ancient kingdom warriors on the islands of Java, Sumatra and
Bali.

He hoped Indonesians wouldn't lose interests in the highly
valued krises, pointing out that people from as far away as
Germany, the Netherlands and France were very keen to learn about
the daggers.(03)