Archeologists find ancient Buddhist relic
Archeologists find ancient Buddhist relic
The Jakarta Post, Klaten/Denpasar
A gold inscription, believed to have been an inheritance from the
Rakai Pikatan kingdom in the eighth century, was discovered by a
joint team of students from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and
archeologists in Central Java.
The ancient artifact was found at Plaosan village, Prambanan
subdistrict, Klaten regency, by the team comprising students of
UGM's Schools of Archeology and the province's Ancient
Archeological Preservation Agency (BP3).
A member of the team, Tjahjono Prasodjo, confirmed that the
relic, 18.5 centimeters in length and 2.2 centimeters wide, was
made of gold.
It is reportedly so thin it can be folded. It contains
engravings of Buddhist mantras written in ancient Javanese script
(similar to sanskrit) on its surface.
"As the script is a slightly faded, we will try to translate
it as soon as possible to understand its meaning," Prasodjo said
on Thursday.
"We will also take a test to determine the content of the
gold. Judging from its shape and character, it is sure that the
script contains Buddhist mantras," he added.
He said the relic was discovered at a stupa-shaped building
buried in the ground and supposedly to enliven temples and to
worship gods and goddesses.
"In former times, people believed temples were not lifeless
buildings. To them, they were places of worship, where gods
resided," Prasodjo said.
Wahyu Broto Rahardjo, another archeologist, said that
initially, the team excavated the location in search of a major
temple following earlier findings that there was a main temple
somewhere in the vicinity.
"The relic finding is a clue to finding the main temple," he
added.
The team stated that the excavations, which began on Sept. 23
had ended for the time being on Thursday.
Separately, a number of stone hunting tools, believed to have
been made by people during the Paleolithic era, were discovered
by an archeological team on the banks of the Hu'u river on
Sumbawa Island in West Nusa Tenggara.
Head of the Denpasar archeology office Ayu Kusumawati said on
Thursday that the team, comprising archeologists from Denpasar,
Yogyakarta and Jakarta, also found Megalithic stone graves.
"The discovery is a follow-up to the findings of the Oeipusi
and Nangasea sites in the area a few months ago. It is a
surprise. This shows that Dompu in rich in archeological
remains," she said.
She said the tools resembled axes, chisels and knives made of
stone, while the stone grave, found on the top of Dha'a hill,
Hu'u, was a half-meter in diameter with a height of 1.2 meters.
Both site's findings were related to the extended research and
excavation at the Oeipusi site, which lasted for 11 days until
Sept. 30.