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)