Kediri Archaeological Discovery: Kediri, East Java

Java is an archaeologists delight with so many antiquities still to be discovered, and, recent archaeological discoveries at a Tondowongso excavation site in the East Java town of Kediri have opened the possibility that the once-glorious Kadiri Kingdom was located in a nearby region.

The head of the East Java Agency for Technical, Preservation and Salvation of Cultural and Archeological Remnants (BP3), Prapto Saptono, said the area should be made off-limits to the public to prevent any damage to the historical remnants due to illegal excavation activities by local residents as ID Nugroho explains.

“I believe there is a link between these artifacts and artifacts
found earlier, further clarifying the exact location of the Kadiri Kingdom, whose existence is still a mystery,” said Prapto.

Based on BP3 data, as of this year 392 historical relics have been found in 12 districts in Kediri. Fourteen of these are statues representing the images of the gods Syiwa Maha Bumi, Durga Mahesa Sura Madini, Chandra and Surya, as well as the Andini, or Nandi, cow image and the Lingga-Yoni image.

West of Gayam village in Pagu district, archaeologists also discovered the personal remnants of Kadiri King Prabu Joyoboyo. Archaeologists believe the site, said to be a temple, which has since been converted into a meditation area by locals, is closely linked with Gayam village.

An epigraphist at BP3, Ririet Suryandani, said a toponymic analysis could be used to uncover the exact location of the Kadiri Kingdom.

“We can determine the exact location of the kingdom from studying the hundreds of historical statues found,” said Ririet at the excavation site.

Ririet believes the discovery of an ancient inscription at the Tondowongso site could also explain the function, name and purpose of the historical building, adding it could be presented in various forms, such as on an encrypted stone, bronze or gold plate.

This is not the first time ancient remains have been uncovered in Gayam.

The late Dr. Sukmono discovered three statues there in 1957. The then dean of Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University’s School of Archaeology discovered the images of Brahma, Andini and Yoni.

The site was in poor condition at that time, with the ancient temple having suffered damage to its foundations.

Unlike earlier discoveries, the statue of Syiwa Maha Bumi recently found in Gayam was considered rare in that it has four heads, or catur sirah.

“Generally, most of the Syiwa statues found have three heads, or tri sirah. This one has an earthenware jug carved beside the figure, which is rare,” said Prapto.

High-quality rocks were used to make the statues, proven by the artifacts’ good condition despite being buried for hundreds of years.

Ornaments carved onto the statues discovered at the Tondowongso site are still clearly discernible compared to those found at other ancient sites. For example, the light brown color on the Andini cow statue is still clearly visible.

Archaeologists from BP3 Trowulan, Mojokerto, have been sifting through the Tondowongso site for the last two months. However, the team has yet to distinguish the basic shape of the temple due to suspected damage to its vertical framework.

The BP3 team found that the Kediri statues were arranged unlike those usually found in most East Java temples in which the Lingga-Yoni statues were often placed at the temple’s center. Those found at the Tondowongso site were positioned at the edge of the temple.

“We will analyze this, as we consider it unusual,” Prapto said.

Another dissimilarity was found with the six Syiwa statues, which were positioned in a row along the temple wall, a rare sight in most temples found in East Java in which they were found to be placed next to the Lingga-Yoni statues.

However, the most striking feature of the newly-discovered statues is the use of bright-red andesite rock on the Syiwa statues. This rock-type is found only in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, which is kept at the Trowulan Museum in Mojokerto.

“The Garuda Wisnu statue is considered unique from the others because it was carved from red andesite rock. Well, we have found a red Syiwa statue now,” said Ahmad Kholif from BP3’s artifact registration division.

Purwanto, a BP3 archeologist also involved in the Tondowongso excavation, said chemical tests would be conducted after all the objects had been unearthed. These would include rock texture, material and chemical changes tests.

“We could determine the period in which the objects were made through chemical analyses,” said Purwanto.

ID Nugroho