Unlocking the mysteries: Challenges on the ground as Indonesia seeks to restore ancient Sumatra temple complex

JAMBI, Sumatra: In the canopied peatlands of a low-lying plain in Sumatra, Indonesian archaeologists have been surveying more than 100 sites said to contain the ruins of an ancient civilisation.

So far, they have uncovered Buddhist temples and religious structures along with numerous artefacts scattered along the Batang Hari River in the Muaro Jambi region.

These structures and compounds – built between the 7th and 13th century and connected to one another via a system of canals and footpaths – were found within a 39 sq km area, the size of a small city. 

Indonesian scientists believe that Muaro Jambi was once a thriving civilisation and possibly the capital of the ancient Srivijaya Kingdom, which ruled over much of Sumatra for six centuries.

The Muaro Jambi area was also referenced in a number of ancient texts as a place where thousands of Buddhist scholars from different parts of Asia came to study.

If scientists can confirm these theories, Muaro Jambi could well be one of the biggest and most important religious complexes in Southeast Asia.

“This was a very important place at the time,” said Asyhadi Mufsi Sadzali, an archaeology lecturer from Jambi University.

But despite its vastness and historical significance, not many people have heard – let alone visited – the Muaro Jambi temple complex, including Indonesians themselves.

The Jambi provincial government is determined to change this and put Muaro Jambi on the map as one of the country’s top tourism hotspots. But there are many hurdles before this goal is achieved.

For one, the temples and religious structures in Muaro Jambi lack the captivating details found in Java’s Borobudur or Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, both of which serve as tourist magnets and icons. 

Instead, the structures found in Muaro Jambi are smaller in scale, fashioned out of bricks into simple geometric form. Intricate stone carvings are not commonly found throughout the complex.

Indonesia is hoping that World Heritage status from UNESCO would bring much-needed attention and investment into the area.

However, more than 13 years after the government first applied for the status, Muaro Jambi is still in the first phase of the five-stage nomination process with no clear roadmap on when it will progress on to the next stage.

A SPECIAL PLACE

For those involved in unlocking the mysteries of the Muaro Jambi complex, it has been a slow and deliberate process.

Of the 101 mounds surveyed by archaeologists, only 24 have been excavated since the complex was first discovered by British soldiers in 1824. Due to funding constraints, only eight mounds have been fully restored and are now open to the public.

One of the restored temples is Kedaton, believed to be the location where Buddhist monks from across Asia were trained.

“Those who were trained here were no ordinary (Buddhist) monks,” archaeologist Sadzali said. “There are theories that this place was where the teachers were trained.”

The Kedaton compound is 4ha in size, surrounded by tall brick walls and accessible through elevated gateways that are decorated with stone carvings.

Inside, the compound is divided into several massive courtyards surrounding a large, temple-like structure.

The Jambi University lecturer said there are similarities between the Kedaton temple and the rest of Muaro Jambi area with accounts written by Chinese monk Yijing, also known as I-Tsing, when he visited Srivijaya Kingdom in the 7th century to advance his studies on Buddhism.

“(Yijing) wrote in his book that he saw big brick structures and in them were 1000 monks studying. He also said in September and March he had no shadow,” Sadzali said, referring to Muaro Jambi’s equatorial position. “There are similarities to what (Yijing) was describing with this place.”

Sadzali said there were also similarities between Muaro Jambi and accounts by 11th century Buddhist master, Atisa Dipankara Srijnana. Hailing from Bengal, Atisa was credited as one of the greatest figures in medieval Buddhism in Asia.

The presence of both Yijing and Atisa in Srivijaya is a general point of agreement among historians. However, Srivijaya was a vast kingdom and there is an ongoing debate among the archaeological community about the exact location of this place of higher learning.

“We have yet to find any archaeological evidence to support this,” said Sadzali of the theories that Muaro Jambi was one of the Buddhist theological epicentres in Asia.  

“If we want to understand the significance of Muaro Jambi, we have to understand what (the Buddhist scholars) were learning here, what teachings were taught, who were the teachers. It is the first step to understand the functions of this vast complex.”    

MAJOR HURDLE

The answer may lie in the dozens of mounds which have yet to be excavated, scattered along the Muaro Jambi region.

This year, a team of archaeologists is concentrating on four sites for their excavation work.

In a 10,000 sqm compound, workers and scientists have uncovered a huge brick structure rising 5m from the surface, tangled in a web of roots and branches of a mighty tree. Scientists have also discovered fragments of hand-carved Buddhist statues and remnants of four smaller structures that had been largely reduced to rubble.

Two kilometres away, another group of archaeologists also made similar discoveries when they conducted their excavation this year. Beneath the layers of earth were rubbles of at least 20 brick structures along with various artefacts inside a 6,400 sqm compound.

Archaeologist Mubarak Andi Pampang said scientists can only work on four sites each year due to budget constraints and this includes studying and restoring previously excavated sites.

“There are still many things that we don’t know about the whole complex. We don’t know the exact functions of virtually every structure that we have found. We also want to know how the civilisation expanded,” the excavation team leader said.

Arif Budiman, head of the Jambi culture and tourism agency, told CNA that one of the biggest hurdles slowing the archaeological work is that much of the Muaro Jambi complex is still owned by local communities, plantation owners and coal companies.

Only a tiny fraction of the 39 sq km complex is owned by the provincial government and available for excavation work. “We have a limited budget. That’s why it takes a long time,” Budiman said of plans to purchase the remaining land.

The central government is trying to accelerate the process, earmarking 200 billion rupiah (US$12.8 million) to help the local government to secure more land.

But there is still the issue of people who are reluctant to give up their properties to make way for archaeological work.

Jambi provincial secretary Sudirman said his office is in talks with coal companies and plantation owners to move out of the historical sites, by offering them alternative locations.

Officials are also trying to convince locals living in the area to sell their land.

“We want to empower the local communities. Some of the excavation work is done by people around the temples who are trained by the archaeologists. We also provide them the opportunity to sell food, coffee, souvenirs to tourists as well as rent out bicycles and bentors (motorised rickshaws),” said Sudirman who goes by one name.

“Not only are we compensating them for giving up their farmlands, but they get to feel the benefit of having a temple complex in their neighbourhood.”

UNTAPPED POTENTIAL

Sudirman said that there is still a lot of untapped tourism potential in Muaro Jambi and the local government wants to step up its efforts.

“We want to return the temples to their original function as a place of learning,” the provincial secretary said, adding that the Jambi government has been engaging with Buddhist communities across the country to stage pilgrimage and religious events in Muaro Jambi.

When CNA visited Kedaton temple, one of the better-known and better-preserved temples in the complex, there were only a handful of visitors from around the area.

“The problem is transportation and accessibility,” said Sudirman.

Muaro Jambi is connected to the rest of the province by narrow potholed roads which are often flooded during the rainy season. 

The roads are commonly crowded with big trucks transporting coal from the Jambi’s hilly regions in the west to river jetties located near the conservation area.

Sudirman said the province is looking at the possibility of bringing tourists to Muaro Jambi using the Batang Hari River, one of the major waterways in Sumatra.

“There are ancient canals that connect the Batang Hari River to the temples. It would be a unique experience for the tourists if we can have a boat tour starting from the city,” he said, referring to the riverside city of Jambi, located around 20 km away from the historic site.

Sudirman said the province does not have a timeline of when this will become reality, adding that this plan would require dredging the ancient canals and moats along with other infrastructure work.

“We want to make Muaro Jambi our prime tourism destination. But our budget is limited. So we have to keep taking small steps, one after the other. But we believe we can achieve this goal,” he said.