Island of Layers of Gold Found in Indonesian Territory, Here's Its Location

The golden island is not just a legend or fiction. Its location has been found in Indonesia. Stories of a golden island appear in various classical works and poems in India. Records mention the existence of this island across the ocean, including the Ramayana tale which describes a voyage to an island called Suvarnabhumi. Thousands of years ago, Greek and Roman scholars who lived between 31 BC and 416 AD also recounted the presence of an island full of gold south of India. One text mentions that ‘the golden island is where the sun is overhead’, interpreted as being on the equator. Meanwhile, ancient manuscripts from China’s Ming Dynasty era (14th century) speak of the country of San Fo Tjai, rich in gold, located in the southern region. Many versions from ancient civilisations explain that the golden island would bring prosperity to those who travelled there. Evidence of this was only truly discovered during the era of ocean exploration in the 15th century. The island in question is Sumatra. Historian O.W. Wolters, in The Rise and Glory of Srivijaya in the 3rd to 7th Centuries (2017), documented various records concerning this. Excavations were subsequently carried out. William Marsden’s The History of Sumatra (1811) notes that Padang, West Sumatra, received 10,000 ounces, or 283 kilogrammes, of gold from 1,200 mines in the interior, with an estimated economic value reaching 1 million guilders. Denys Lombard, in The Kingdom of Aceh (1986), states that the kingdom in that region possessed 300 gold mines. It was reported that each mine yielded an inexhaustible supply of 24-carat gold. Agustin de Beaulieu from Europe also noted that the soil layers in Aceh could produce gold, sometimes even in nuggets. The colonial period further uncovered facts about gold in Sumatra. The Dutch colonisers carried out large-scale exploration and exploitation because gold had the potential to become a source of revenue, besides spices. Local residents also turned gold into a source of income. They often processed it for trade, which subsequently gave rise to wealthy entrepreneurs from the gold business and ownership. These entrepreneurs also contributed donations to Indonesia’s development during the independence era.