Arkeologi Sungai Batu
ini antara blog yang menerangkan dengan lebih teliti tentang arkeo di Sg Batu, Lembah Bujang . Tapi dah lama tak update :L
Centuries-old temple ruins in Bujang Valley furtively destroyed
By Opalyn Mok
December 1, 2013
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 1 — Prehistoric ruins at an archaeological site in Bujang Valley some 1,200 years old were secretly demolished by a land developer, a Penang lawmaker said yesterday, even as Badan Warisan Malaysia seeks to list the historical spot as a Unesco world heritage site.
Confirming the matter with The Malay Mail Online, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy said he was shocked to discover the ruins of candi (tomb temple) site number 11 dug up from its spot near Sungai Batu and cast aside in a pile of debris.
“ The candi was located at Sungai Batu and it was demolished by the developer, who is clearing the land for development, more than a month back, ” he told The Malay Mail Online after he visited the site yesterday.
According to the Penang lawmaker, he received reports of the demolition last week and decided to visit the site to verify if they were true.
“ This particular candi is hidden from sight behind an old oil palm estate so the developer probably demolished it first before clearing the oil palm trees, ” he said.
Lembah Bujang, in the Merbok district of Kedah, is well-known as the richest archaeological site in Malaysia, with more than 50 ancient candi at the site.
Most of the candi are in ruins, and some have been reconstructed and moved to a site near the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum. Others, including candi number 11, were rebuilt at their original sites.
The ruins of these candi and other archaeological discoveries unearthed in this area date back more than 2,000 years. The destroyed example, candi number 11, is believed to have been built between the 11th and 13th century, according to research by historian Dr Mohd Supian Sabtu.
Outraged that such an ancient and significant archaeological site was not only unprotected but also allowed to be dug up to make way for development, Ramasamy said he will be writing to Badan Warisan Malaysia to seek action against the developer and the authorities complicit in the destruction.
“ I learnt that the Merbok land office had given the developer the go-ahead to clear the land because ‘there were no historical sites’, so the land office should also be held accountable for this,” he said.
Ramasamy also said the Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum officials he spoke to appeared to have their “ hands are tied ” as they had no authority to stop the developer.
“ Only Badan Warisan can do something and the Kedah state government should also do something as we are talking about an important historical site that should be preserved and protected, ” he said.
The destruction of candi number 11, rebuilt on its original site back in the 1970s by an archaeological team, was chanced upon by a scholar who happened to be investigating the historical valley.
“ A researcher, Datuk V. Nadarajan, who is conducting a study on the Lembah Bujang site, is the one to discover that the candi was demolished and had lodged a police report to stop the developers but nothing happened, ” the Perai state assemblyman said.
Pointing out that Badan Warisan Malaysia was planning to apply to Unesco for Bujang Valley to be listed as a heritage site, Ramasamy said it only made sense that it should be doing everything to protect the site instead of ignoring this.
“ In Penang, we do everything in our power to protect our heritage sites because George Town is a Unesco world heritage site, so how could the Kedah state government allow this to happen to the oldest archaeological site in the country ? ” he asked.
Bujang Valley is home to the oldest man-made structure recorded in Southeast Asia — a clay brick monument nearly two millennia old.
Excavations on the site have also uncovered jetty remains, iron smelting sites and relics with Hindu and Buddhist influences that point towards a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that traces as far back as 110 CE.
The site has been at the centre of research by various historians, archaeologists and university students in the past two decades.
- The Malay Mail -
Last edited by HangPC2 on 1-12-2013 06:59 PM
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Describing the destruction of an ancient Hindu temple in Kedah as nothing short of “ cultural barbarism ”, an opposition MP has called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir to break their silence on the matter.
Padang Serai MP N Surendran said the nation is stunned by the destruction of the ancient temple structure dating from the 8th century in the historic Bujang Valley archaelogical site.
“ The destruction, carried out by a private developer, is an act of cultural barbarism, comparable to the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban.
“ It is a shame and embarrassment to our country, ” added the PKR vice-president.
Bujang Valley, said Surendran, is the most important archaeological site in Malaysia, and is famed throughout Southeast Asia.
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The destroyed Candi Number 11, he added, was a tangible part of Malaysian history and invaluable to the nation.
“It is simply incomprehensible that the area was not gazetted as a historical site. How could the federal government and Kedah government allow this to happen?” he asked.
'What's the use of Culture and Tourism Ministry?'
Surendran also took the state government to task for its excuse that the land was privately owned, calling this “pathetic and unacceptable”.
“ Why did the Kedah state authorities give the necessary approvals for development to proceed, knowing full well that the area is historically significant ?
“ The Kedah government and authorities have displayed breathtaking irresponsibility and cultural philistinism in allowing the development to proceed, ” he added.
The federal government, he said, also has a positive duty to ensure that historically significant sites are preserved.
“ What is the use of having a Ministry of Culture and Tourism if the nation's heritage is so easily destroyed for private profit ? How do we answer for this cultural vandalism to future generations of Malaysians ? ” he added.
The PKR leader called on the Kedah government and the federal government to take urgent and effective steps to protect the Lembah Bujang archaeological site.
“ We demand that the state government immediately issues a stop work order for the development projects at the site.
“ We further call for the urgent preservation of the debris and wreckage of Candi No 11 with a view towards repair and full restoration.
“ Meanwhile both Najib and Mukhriz must break their silence on this matter. The people are entitled to an explanation, ” he added.
- Malaysiakini -
After uproar, Kedah scrambles bid to salvage Lembah Bujang ruins
By Opalyn Mok
December 1, 2013
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 1 — Stung by the public’s ire over the apparent inaction that allowed a 1,200-year-old temple ruin in Lembah Bujang to be destroyed, the Kedah government said it was engaging a university to determine how to preserve what was left of the prehistoric archaeological site.
Kedah state executive councillor for Youth, Sports, Arts, Culture and Heritage and Non-governmental Organisations Aminuddin Omar the administration has tapped Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Centre for Global Archaeological Research that was conducting a study on parts of the archaeological site.
“ State executive councillor Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain is now discussing with USM’s Professor Mokhtar Saidin on how to go about handling this issue, ” he said in a telephone interview today.
“ We may need to study the whole area carefully to pinpoint which parts of the valley that needs to be protected, ” he added.
Earlier, Azmi sought to fend off accusations that the government had stood by as a developer bulldozed the ancient site, saying it was powerless to prevent this as the land was not only on privately owned but also not gazetted as a historical site.
Yesterday, Penang’s Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P.Ramasamy confirmed that candi number 11, temple ruins with Hindu influences near Sungai Batu, had been dug up and cast aside in a pile of debris by a developer clearing the land for a residential housing project.
Ramasamy had visited the site following hearing reports of the demolition and was disgusted that the developer was getting away with destroying an important piece of Malaysia’s history.
The Perai state assemblyman will be writing to Badan Warisan Malaysia to take action against the developer for destroying parts of a significant archaeological site.
Lembah Bujang, in the Merbok district of Kedah, is the richest archaeological site in Malaysia with more than 50 ancient candi or temple ruins at the site.
Most of the candi are in ruins, and some have been reconstructed and moved to a site near the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum.
Candi number 11 was rebuilt back in 1970s by an archaeological team at its original site near the Sungai Batu.
Most of the candi ruins in the valley dates back to more than 2,000 years ago and research had showed that candi 11 is believed to be built between the 11th and 13th century.
Lembah Bujang is also home to the oldest man-made structure recorded in Southeast Asia - a clay brick monument nearly two millennia old.
Excavations on the site have uncovered jetty remains, iron smelting sites and relics with Hindu and Buddhist influences that point towards a Hindu-Buddhist Kingdom that traces as far back as 110 CE.
- The Malay Mail -
We didn’t know significance of the stones, says Lembah Bujang builder
By Ida Lim
December 3, 2013
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Locals looking around the site where candi number 11 once stood in Lembah Bujang, Kedah, December 2, 2013. — Picture by K.E. Ooi
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Hit by brickbats for bulldozing the remains of an ancient Hindu civilisation in Lembah Bujang in Kedah, a housing developer for the area has claimed to be unaware of the site’s historical significance.
Saw Guan Keat, project manager for Bandar Saujana Sdn Bhd, was reported in The Star newspaper as saying the company would have left candi number 11 alone if they had known the stones on the land were the temple ruins of a once-great civilisation.
“We had a site visit before land clearing started in September. We saw a stone structure (the candi). We did not know what it was, ” Saw was quoted saying.
He added: “If we had known the structure was a historical site, we would not have cleared it.”
According to Saw, the company had learnt of the stones’ significance only through news reports, by which time it was too late as its contractors had already discarded the demolished structure as debris.
He related that Bandar Saujana had taken over the development project for the area from another builder, adding that the project had been approved by the Sungai Petani municipal council in the mid 1990s.
Saw said Bandar Saujana had twice carried out land searches at the Kedah Land Office — on January 14 this year before purchasing eight plots of land from the previous developer and again on July 30.
On both occasions, the land search showed that there were no encumbrances for the land, which Bandar Saujana subsequently purchased in February this year.
A local archaeologist has also said the 8th century candi can be rebuilt if drawing plans of the temple are available.
“ As long as we have the plans, we can reconstruct it, ” Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin, who is the director of USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR), was quoted saying.
He reportedly said that the candi could be rebuilt using laterite and pebbles found in Lembah Bujang if those materials were originally used.
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Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the National Heritage Act 2005 could be used to impose a stop work order even if private property is involved.
The Kedah state government has since asked the developer to stop the land clearing pending investigations into the issue, which it has complied with.
Lembah Bujang is the richest archaeological site in Malaysia and the home of the oldest man-made structure recorded in Southeast Asia — a clay brick monument dating back to 110AD.
Excavations on the site have also uncovered jetty remains, iron smelting sites and relics with Hindu and Buddhist influences that point towards a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom there as early as 110 CE.
British colonists first discovered the ancient ruins in the 1840s and ever since, archaeologists from the world over have visited the site to conduct extensive research.
In 1974, the then Museum Department commissioned a team of archaeologists to reconstruct 10 of the candi where four were relocated to the current museum grounds while the rest were left in situ.
Since then, researchers and archaeologists have found more candi located all over the Lembah Bujang and a recent study by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) revealed that there are 127 archaeological sites in Kedah with over 90 candi in Lembah Bujang.
Many sites are still in the midst of being excavated and a team from the USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) also has a base there excavating and researching some of the sites in the valley
- The Malay Mail -
Punca kenapa pelajaran Sejarah patut diwajibkan...dan penjawat awam...kalau Sejarah SPM dapat 8...kena belajar lagi...
Artikel dari seorang India,Sharmalan Thevar yang menempelak saudara Indianya sendiri dalam kes perebutan hak Lembah Bujang dan juga menempelak sikap orang Melayu sendiri yang tak mahu ambil kisah pasal warisan nenek moyang mereka yang boleh ditelusuri usianya sekitar abad ke 8 Masihi
Bujang Valley & Malaysian Indians
Bujang Valley is an ancient archeological site in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah. It contains archeological evidence and structures that shows the ancient Hindu-Buddhist heritage of the state. The temples are known as chandi. The chandis even resemble sacrificial altars.
Recently, a not so smart developer demolished a particular chandi believed to be 1200-1300 years old (8th century AD). Suddenly many self proclaimed Indian champions of Bujang Valley became very agitated. MIC and Hindu Sangam became very upset. Indians of Facebook were busy condemning the government for their in action.
All because some Indians claimed that INDIAN HERITAGE was destroyed. Because these champions thought their grandfathers and great grandfathers built it.
The chandis were built even before the time of Rajaraja Chola or his son Rajendra Chola. Rajendra Chola attacked ancient Kedah in 11th century AD. That is a few hundred years after the chandis were built. Furthermore, he sent a military expedition but neither he nor his father personally participated in it.
But our beloved hardcore Indians thinks that Rajendra Chola came here, ate Nasi Lemak bungkus and left.
I was hurt too when I read the news. Not because of any Indian taglines but simply because I love to dwell in history. Furthermore, Malaysian government should preserve the history of this land. Malaysia was after all a Hindu-Buddhist domain before the arrival of Islam. The Hindu-Buddhist past of this land must never be erased.
The ancient Malays, I mean the ancestors of the real Malays, not the Melayu Celup or Constitutional Malays, were the ones who built these chandis. They would have gained the knowledge from the Indians. After all, didn't they learn religion from the Indians ? Didn't they use their language ? Didn't they use their writing scripts ?
You see, we Indians of Malaysia have a problem. We think that anything linked with Hinduism must have been created by our direct ancestors. It is true that Hinduism was introduced to Southeast Asia by the people of India. But that does not mean every single chandi was built by them.
Some of the ancient Indians who came here would have intermarried with some hot local Malay girls in wet sarong and lived happily ever after. Their descendants would have just remained here and became ancestors of some of the locals.
These ancient Indians who settled down here and their descendants are not the direct ancestors of the present day Malaysian Indians.
We have been here for probably around 200 years only. Anything beyond that goes back to India. We can still trace our roots to some village in India but none of us can trace a continuous lineage that lived here for 2000 years.
The oldest community to live here among the present day Malaysian Indians are the Malacca Chetties. They are Tamils of the merchant Chetti caste. They came here during the Malacca empire era and lived here since then. They did not go back to India. Some would have intermarried the locals (again hot girl in wet sarong) but they didn't end up loosing their ' Chettiness ' for the last 500 years.
But your grandfather and my grandfather settled down here during British rule. Although their ancestors would have traveled here earlier, they never stayed permanently. So how can we claim that our direct ancestors were the ones who built and lived along the chandis in Kedah ???
Because if it was our ancestors who built it and lived here permanently, we would have been a ' rojak Malay ' by now and not a Tamil speaking Hindu Malaysian Indian.
I am sorry to say this but it looks like most of you Malaysian Indians don't seem to know your own roots. You don't know which caste you belong to, you don't even know the name of your ancestral village in India, then why on earth simply say things which are not true ?
A person who knows his roots very well will know the caste and village his taata and paati came from. He will not simply lay claims to a heritage which was built by another race.
To make the problem worst, the modern Malaysian Malays are not speaking up to defend what their ancestors built. This is because their ancestors were not Muslims like them. Their ancestors were Hindus and Buddhist.
So the general Malay public which has been coated with Arabic culture does not seem to give a damn about their own Hindu-Buddhist heritage in this land. They keep speaking about heritage which is Islamic and forget about their pre-Islamic glorious past.
Again, I am only referring to the pure Malays, not any Malay wannabe like the not so honorable Ridhuan Tee Abdullah who has roots in China.
The Malays should learn from their cousins in Indonesia. Despite being the most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia accepts and preserves the Hindu-Buddhist past of the country. They don't live in denial.
And to my fellow Malaysian Indians, I think for as long as you don't know your own roots, you should not even bother opening your mouth about other ancient heritage.
You cannot take care of your own heritage, why make so much of noise for something which was never yours ?
End of tantrum.....
Ni yang aku nak marah ni .... apa pasal Kerajaan Keah tak jaga betul2 tapak arkeologi ni dari zaman BN - PAS - BN sampai jadi semak kawasan tu. Atleast letak la papan tanda ke apa ka?
Nampak sangat sapa2 dok kat pentadbiran Kedah spesis buta sejarah. Takde pulak kerajaan Mesir ka, ulamak Al-Azhar ka kasi demolish piramid makam firaun segala.
rais yatim mana rais yatim..ke dah tukar portfolio
http://lokalgenius.blogspot.com/2013/12/bangsa-melayu-dan-bangsa-yunani.html
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sedih nye tengok tapak sejarah hilang begitu sahaja. xkan la pemaju xtahu bintanang apa tu..saje je cari pasal