CANDI BOJONGMENJE

Bojongmenje Temple or better known as Rancaekek Site, is an archaeological complex which is presumably a pre-Islamic heritage in West Java located in Dusun Bojongmenje, Kalurahan Cangkuang, District Rancaekek, Bandung, West Java. The site is located near an industrial area so that its existence is threatened. Together with Cangkuang Temple and Batujaya Temple Site and Cibuaya Site, this site is one of the few remaining Hindu-Buddhist heritage buildings in West Java. Bandung District has an archaeological site in the form of a temple? Not everyone knows about it. Generally existing temples on the island of Java are found in areas of Central Java and East Java. Later, just found some of the temples in the West Java region such as what is on Site Batujaya (Karawang) and Cangkuang Temple (Garut). Only in August 2002, accidentally a resident in Kampung Bojongmenje, Cangkuang Village, Rancaekek Subdistrict who wanted to find land to deteriorate the uneven alleys of his land, found a cavity of earth that surrounded there was a pile of stones arranged neatly. The discovery of the pile of stone was finally decided as part of a temple by archaeologists, since then the location was excavated for further discovery and research. The initial suspicion by archaeologists of the Bojongmenje Temple is a relic from the 7th century. If that is true, then Bojongmenje Temple has a much younger age than the temple at the site of Batujaya which is a relic of the 2nd century, but has the same age as Dieng Temple - Wonosobo. Even according to Timbul Haryono, age Bojongmenje temple can be older than Dieng temple. Pointing to a number of rocks found by the excavation team, Timbul Haryono revealed, the indication is the absence of halfround or rocks with a semicircle profile. But there are only rocks with long facet profiles and padma frames. "From the style, the technique of making the temple, and the size of the temple rocks tend to reflect as an old temple like Dieng in Central Java," said Timbul. He proposed that the Bojongmenje Temple, which is believed to be about six times six meters, is an indication that there has been a certain village community. That is, the community is a small part of a large central royal structure that is marked, among others, by the establishment of large temples as a sacred place of worship. Therefore, allegedly other than in Bojongmenje, there are also similar temples established by the community as a place of worship. Indications are increasingly strong with the flow of the river Cimande and Citarik river which is located not far from the location of Bojongmenje Temple. There is even information, about two kilometers from the location of Bojongmenje Temple there is also a hot spring. Alluding to the existence of a threshold stone with a pattern of two holes, Timbul estimate the threshold stone is part of the niche of the temple. Similarly, the stone threshold with a hole one, he mentioned as a fraction of the temple niches. As for the matter of finding a brick, Timbul rate, the bricks are old and is part of the "body" of the temple that unstructured rocks well. With the discovery of this Bojongmenje temple it may change historical facts. These facts include the direction of the spread of culture in the island of Java from east to west, the opposite is from west to east. This is based on the archaeological findings that show that Bojongmenje temple is older than temples in Central Java and East Java or at least equivalent to the old temple in Dieng Central Java. Bojongmenje Temple invention of course very proud of the Sundanese who during this role in the stage of the history of enshrinement less attention. Bernert Kempers an archaeologist from the Netherlands also only divides the classical period in Java into the classical period of Central Java and the classical period of East Java. Based on the revocation, it is said that the classical period in Indonesia is divided into old classics for the period of Central Java and the classical period of young for the East Java period. That opinion needs to be reviewed because it does not mention the role of the Sundanese in the history of the building enshrinement. In fact, epigraphic evidence shows that in the Tatar Sunda region there is a center of the Hindu kingdom of Tarumanagara. In addition, the development of archeological research in the Tatar Sunda region began to emerge the discovery of the temple. Therefore, the discovery of Bojongmenje Temple is expected to open the veil of temple in Tatar Sunda to be brighter. Looking at the location where Bojongmenje temple is located, it is enough to pay attention. To get to the location of this temple must pass a narrow alley with a towering factory fence wall. The site of the discovery of this temple itself sticks with.