Historical Relics Reappear, Discovery of Stone Statues at Kranggan Nambaan, Kediri

On Monday, June 12, 2022, two stone statues were removed from the Kranggan river in the Kediri area, East Java. This stone statue has a fairly large size, lifting it using heavy equipment. According to the caretaker in the area, apart from the two stone statues, there are many other relics in the river. Reportedly, the discovery of this stone has been around for a long time, but it is said that the removal of this statue can be done after the Jaranan custom is carried out in the area. This stems from what one resident said, namely, "the response was that Jaranan sek was just appointed, I knew that he was lifted but didn't feel like uploading, instead he collapsed, mergo arep was carried out by ning klotok" which means "given the art performance of the jaranan first, then it can be lifted from the river. , was once lifted but didn't want to go up, instead it collapsed, because it wanted to be moved to klotok (name of place)".

The place where the stone statue was found in Kranggan Village is said to be a kingdom buried in the ground, because it is close to Petilasan Sriaji Joyoboyo and Sendang Tirto Kamandanu, which are relics of the ancient kingdom. This discovery does not escape the history that Kediri was a city full of kingdoms in the past, there were several kingdoms in Kediri including the Jenggala and Panjalu Kingdoms. In addition to the discovery of stone statues recently, there have been many historical discoveries in the Kediri area, such as the discovery of small statues in Tondowongso Hamlet, Gurah District, Kediri.An important message for all of my friends, history is real, live in the modern world but we must not forget history. Preserve culture, Preserve nature, Preserve the country.

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The Oldest Discovery in East Java, 3 Statues and Historic Objects at the Srigading Site

MALANG - The East Java Cultural Conservation Preservation Center (BPCB) said the findings of the three statues at the Srigading Site were very important.  The reason is that this is one of the findings of the oldest temples and historical objects in Malang and even East Java.

 Archaeologist BPCB East Java Wicaksono Dwi Nugroho said, the findings of this temple became so important to explore ancient civilizations in the 9th and 10th centuries.

This temple was quite important in its time.  According to this initial hypothesis, this temple has an ancient Mataram Shivaistic religious style, equipped with a pantheon like Prambanan Temple," said Wicaksono in a confirmation by MNC Portal, Monday. This is coupled with the discovery of three statues in the second excavation which took place from Monday (21/2/2022) to Sunday (27/2/2022).  The last statue found was the Agastya statue which was found on the south side of the temple wall, on Sunday (27/2/2022).  This statue has a height of 85 centimeters and was found in intact condition, without any fractures.

 "The finding was at a distance of one meter from the southern wall of the temple, the position was prone, slightly tilted. Found it last Sunday in the ruins attached to the temple wall, from the initial earthen mound about two meters," he said.

 According to him, the excavation or excavation process was deliberately extended from the initial schedule, which was originally scheduled to be carried out until Saturday (26/2/2022).  "We are continuing excavations on the south side because on Saturday it was delayed due to heavy rain," he said.In addition to the discovery of two statues, BPCB also found a number of other historical objects that are part of the temple.  Objects such as a phallus in the middle below the yoni are 30 centimeters apart, 60 centimeters deep in the middle.  Furthermore, there are some relief fragments, brick material, some shards of statue hands, pottery fragments, and porcelain fragments.

 "Then there are three phallus stakes, and one cylindrical stone on the north side of the stairs. Everything was taken like a stone phallus, a niche threshold, fragments, reliefs, all of which were secured at the Singasari Museum. Three statues were secured by BPCB because there were some broken pieces.  , the statue of Agastya has not been cleaned because yesterday it was half a day playing haul. So it was cleaned," he explained.Now continued Wicaksono, for the security of the temple building, his party has asked the Malang Regency Government to cooperate with the police to install a police line.  This is to anticipate looting and illegal excavations carried out.

 "The important thing is that visitors are not allowed to go up above the temple. Do not go up to the top of the temple, because the bricks are fragile. At the temple a police line has been installed so that there are no searches with metal detectors, illegal excavations," he concluded.

 Monitoring of MNC Portal at the temple site the day after the excavation on Monday (28/2/2022), the temple building can be seen attached to a police line around the temple.  Meanwhile, the cover previously installed during the excavation has been removed.

 For information, BPCB East Java has carried out a two-stage excavation at the Srigading Site in Malang.  The first excavation was carried out on 7 - 12 February 2022 where the first excavations dug the northern and western parts of the temple.  During this excavation, the BPCB team found fragments of the reliefs and the pearl stone of the roof of the temple, which were found on the west side of the temple.

 While the second excavation was carried out from Monday (21/2/2022) to Saturday (26/2/2022).  In this second stage of excavation, BPCB East Java focused on opening the east and south sides of the temple.  The findings are three statues of Nandaiswara, previously called Agastya, which were found on Tuesday (22/2/2022), and the Mahakala statue which was found on Friday (25/2/2022).

 The third statue found was the Agastya statue which was found on Sunday (27/2/2022) yesterday.  In addition to finding statues, BPCB also found a phallus in the middle of the temple, two stone niches, a temple threshold stone, and several relief ornaments, as well as other fracture fragments.

 Now the second stage of excavation has been completed last Sunday (27/2/2022).  It is planned that the third stage of excavation will be carried out in order to reveal the original land in the temple building.

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Get to know Arya Damar, the Majapahit Gunpowder Expert whose Traces are Mysterious

The Kingdom of Majapahit is so strong in his heyday. The collection of power was inseparable from the presence of a war expert who was able to lock the movement of the enemy and the advancement of the Majapahit civilization at that time. One of them is a weapon that can make enemy steps to walk backwards. The name Arya Damar will never fade. Despite his mysterious footsteps, he remained a legendary leader in power in Palembang in the mid-15th century AD as a subordinate to the Kingdom of Majapahit. He is also known as other names like Ario Damar or Ario Abdilah. According to the Chinese chronicle from the Sam Po Kong Temple in Semarang, Arya Damar also has a Chinese name, namely Swan Liong (Diamond Dragon).  Her name is without a surname in front of her, because her mother is a Chinese-born woman.  At first, Arya Damar was the head of the gunpowder factory or a person who was trusted to take care of the needs of gunpowder for the Majapahit military, especially as explosives for cannons, which at that time the factory was established in Semarang.  His expertise in the field of Gunpowder and Modern Armaments in his era, finally Arya Damar was transferred by the Queen of the Majapahit Kingdom to Palembang, where he was appointed a Duke.  The choice of Arya Damar as Duke of Palembang certainly had its own reasons, because at that time Palembang was one of the western bases of the Majapahit navy outside Java.  So it requires a leader who understands well about weapons, especially cannons and gunpowder.  The power that catapulted his name.Arya Damar is also known in Kidung Pamacangah and Usana Bali as a vassal ruler in Palembang who helped Majapahit conquer Bali in 1343. Bravely, he led 15,000 soldiers to attack Bali from the north, while Gajah Mada attacked from the south with the same number of soldiers.

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The Greatness of Mpu Nala, the Commander of the Majapahit Navy, the Ruler of the Seas Who Terrified the Mongol Empire

Mpu Nala as Commander of the Navy of the Majapahit Kingdom was widely reviewed by Agus S Serono in the book "Jayaning Majapahit: The Story of the Knights of the Ocean Guard", and Irawan Joko in his book "Majapahit Maritime Civilization".

 This Majapahit warlord had a precise strategy by placing dozens of his warships to guard five important points in the waters of the archipelago. The war fleets of the Majapahit Kingdom, among others, were stationed in the west of Sumatra, namely the Cluster 1 Fleet which served as the guard of the Indian Ocean.  This fleet is controlled by an admiral from Central Java.

 The Cluster 2 fleet guards the South Sea, or the South Sea of ​​Java.  This fleet is led by an admiral who is the son of Bali.

 Meanwhile, the Fleet Cluster 3 is in charge of guarding the waters of the Makassar Strait, and the Ternate, Tidore, and Halmahera areas, under the leadership of a Makassar son admiral.

 The group 4 fleet has the task of guarding the Malacca Strait and the Natuna Islands led by an admiral from West Java.

 While the Fleet Cluster 5 has the authority to guard the Java Sea, to the east to the spice islands of Maluku.  This fleet was led by an admiral from East Java.

 Flag ships were placed in every fleet of the Majapahit warship group.  The flag ship is the seat of the highest command leader for all attack ships, supply ships, and flag ship protectors. When initially led by Mpu Nala, the Majapahit Royal Navy used warships from the former Mongol army, which was sent by Kublai Khan to conquer Java, during the reign of Kertanegara.

 The presence of Admiral Nala as the navy commander of the Majapahit Kingdom, was the beginning of Gajah Mada's awareness to ask for his help.  Gajah Mada, who had said the Palapa Oath, realized that it was impossible to fulfill his oath to rule the archipelago, relying solely on land routes.

 When the Amukti Palapa oath was pronounced by the Mahapatih of the Majapahit Kingdom, the islands of Bali, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Tumasik (Singapore) were not yet under the banner of Majapahit rule.  Gajah Mada needed a strong money navy, to unite the islands through maritime expeditions.

 The naval power of the Majapahit Kingdom at that time was still very weak.  Gajah Mada ventured to ask for help from Admiral Nala to strengthen the Majapahit Kingdom's navy.  The strengthening of the navy is carried out in terms of the quality and welfare of the soldiers, as well as the quality of the warships.

 The Majapahit ships were created by Mpu Nala from a kind of giant wood that only grows on a secret island.  This made the Majapahit ships quite large at that time. Mpu Nala succeeded in building the Majapahit Kingdom's navy to become the largest and strongest in the plains of Southeast Asia.  The navy of the Majapahit Kingdom under the leadership of Admiral Nala had about 40 thousand soldiers.  This power made Majapahit respected in Southeast Asia, even to the Chinese Empire.

 Admiral Nala became the commander of the jeweled navy of the Majapahit Kingdom, who had a high genius in his time.  When there was no marine school, Mpu Nala was able to create sophisticated ships with the results of studying the warships belonging to the Mongols.

 Thanks to the cold hand of Admiral Nala, the naval power of the Majapahit Kingdom became very powerful and invincible.  This maritime power, made the greatness of Majapahit legendary until now. 

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Saying the Palapa Oath which is shocking, Gajah Mada is laughed at and reviled

Sitting cross-legged in front of Rani Kahuripan or Bhre Kahuripan, and surrounded by ministers, suddenly Gajah Mada's voice boomed declaring the oath, the contents of which would only rest after successfully conquering the archipelago. Mahapatih Gajah Mada will leave office after Gurun, Seran, Tanjung Pura, Haru, Pahang, Dompo, Bali, Sunda, Palembang and Tumasik kiss the feet of Majapahit.  What happened?.  The atmosphere of the meeting was in an uproar.  Many ministers were flabbergasted. Including Bhre Kahuripan, who after the death of King Jayanegara held the reins of the Majapahit government.  Also amazed.  However, it was not the case with Twins, one of the important Majapahit officials who was also present at the paseban.  The twins laughed mockingly. felt insulted, then descended from the paseban to face the rani's feet," wrote Slamet Muljana in "Towards the Peak of Splendor, History of the Majapahit Kingdom". Gajah Mada was appointed Mahapatih of the Majapahit Kingdom in 1336.

 He replaced Aria Cistern, who had complained for a long time that it was difficult to fulfill her obligations as regent of mangku earth.  Aria Tadah herself had also long wanted Gajah Mada to be her successor.  Aria Cistern's wish was well-founded. 

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site sangiran

The locations of the discovery of archaeological sites are scattered in almost all parts of Indonesia.

 Even Indonesia has an ancient human site that is considered the largest and most important in the world, namely the Sangiran site.

 Sangiran is located at the foot of Mount Lawu, about 15 km from the Bengawan Solo River valley.

 Researchers consider Sangiran as the center of a large, important, and complete civilization of ancient humans in the world because it provides clues about the existence of humans since 150,000 years ago.

 This site stores a wealth of ancient fossils, ranging from fossils of ancient humans, ancient animals, to the results of prehistoric human culture. The Sangiran site itself is located in two regencies in Central Java Province, namely Sragen and Karanganyar Regencies, with an area of ​​59.21 square kilometers.

 The Sangiran area has a characteristic shaped like a giant dome with a large basin in the center of the dome due to erosion events. Research at the Sangiran Site was first conducted in 1864 by P.E.C.  Schemulling.

 The fossils found by P.E.C Schemulling at the Sangiran Site are in the form of vertebrate fossils.

 Eugene Dubois then also visited this place in 1895, but did not continue his research because he found nothing.

 After a long time, Von Koenigswald managed to find various ancient human tools armed with a geological map made by L.J.C van Es in 1932.

 Koenigswald invented a thousand simple tools of chalcedony that could be used to cut, slash, and sharpen wooden spears.

 In 1936, local residents handed over the fossilized right jaw of an ancient human to Koenigswald.

 This is the first discovery of ancient human fossils, which were later given the code S1 (Sangiran) 

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Raden Fatah, Founder and First King of Demak who was confirmed as Caliph in the Land of Java

Raden Fatah or Raden Patah was inaugurated by the Sultan of Turkey as Khalifatullah ing Tanah Jawa (Representative of the Islamic Caliphate (Turkey) for the Land of Java) in 1479 ago.

 This statement was made by the Governor of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X at the 6th Indonesian Muslim Congress (KUII) in Yogyakarta, 9 February 2015. "In 1479, the Sultan of Turkey confirmed Raden Patah as Khalifatullah ing Tanah Java, the representative of the Islamic caliphate (Turkey) for the Land of Java, by handing over the purple-black Laa ilaaha illallah flag made of Kiswah Kaaba cloth, and a green flag that read Muhammadurrasulullah,"  Sri Sultan said in his speech, at that time. The duplicate is stored in the Yogyakarta Palace as an heirloom, a marker of the validity of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta Hadiningrat representing the Turkish Caliphate.”

 Who really is Raden Fatah?  Adipati Raden Fatah alias Jin Bun with the title Senapati Jimbun or Panembahan Jimbun was born in Palembang in 1455 and died in Demak in 1518.

 Raden Fatah was the founder and first king of Demak and ruled from 1500-1518.

 According to the Chinese chronicle from the Sam Po Kong Temple in Semarang, he had the Chinese name Jin Bun without his surname before him, because only his mother was of Chinese blood.

 Jin Bun means strong person.  The name is identical to the Arabic name "Fatah (Broken)" which means victory.  During his reign, the Demak Mosque was built, and then Raden Fatah was buried there.

 Meanwhile, according to Dutch experts Pigeaud and De Graaf, Australian historian M. C. Ricklefs wrote that the founder of Demak was a Chinese Muslim named Cek Ko-po (Pate Rodin senior). Ricklefs estimates that his son was the person Tomé Pires in his Suma Oriental dubbed "Pate Rodim (Adipati/Patih Rodim)", possibly meaning "Badruddin" or "Kamaruddin" (died circa 1504).Rodim's son or younger brother was known as Trenggono (r. 1505-1518 and 1521-1546), the maker of Demak's superiority over Java.

 In fact, Raden Fatah clashed with the figure of Trenggono, the third king of Demak, who ruled from 1505-1518, then 1521-1546.

 There are various versions about the origin of Raden Fatah.  According to the Babad Tanah Jawi, Raden Fatah was the son of Brawijaya, the last king of Majapahit (version of the Babad Tanah Jawi) from a Chinese concubine.This Chinese concubine is the daughter of Kyai Batong (aka Tan Go Hwat).  Because Queen Dwarawati, the empress who came from Campa was jealous, Brawijaya was forced to give a Chinese concubine to his eldest son, Arya Damar, regent of Palembang.

 After giving birth to Raden Patah, the daughter of China married Arya Damar (aka Swan Liong), and gave birth to Raden Kusen (aka Kin San).

 According to Purwaka Caruban Nagari, the Chinese concubine's real name was Siu Ban Ci, daughter of Tan Go Hwat and Siu Te Yo from Gresik.  Tan Go Hwat is a merchant and also a scholar with the title Shaykh Bantong (aka Kyai Batong).

 According to the Chinese chronicle from the Sam Po Kong temple, the nickname when Raden Fatah was young was Jin Bun, the son of Kung-ta-bu-mi (aka Bhre Kertabhumi alias Brawijaya V) the king of Majapahit (Pararaton version) from a Chinese concubine. Then a Chinese concubine was given to a half-Chinese blood named Swan Liong in Palembang.

 Swan Liong was the son of Yang-wi-si-sa (aka Hyang Purwawisesa or Brawijaya III) from a Chinese concubine.  From this second marriage, Kin San (aka Raden Kusen) was born.

 This Chinese chronicle reports that Jin Bun's birth year was 1455. Perhaps Raden Fatah was born when Bhre Kertabhumi was not yet king (reigned 1474-1478).

 According to the history of Banten, the founder of Demak was named Cu Cu (Gan Eng Wan), the son (or subordinate) of the former Chinese prime minister (Haji Gan Eng Cu) who moved to East Java.  Cu Cu served in Majapahit and was instrumental in crushing the rebellion of Arya Dilah, the regent of Palembang.

 This news is quite strange because in the Chronicle of Tanah Jawi, Arya Dilah is another name for Arya Damar, Raden Fatah's adoptive father.

 Furthermore, for his services, Cu Cu became the son-in-law of the king of Majapahit and became the regent of Demak with the title Arya Sumangsang (Aria Suganda).  Although there are various versions, it is said that the founder of Demak had relations with Majapahit, China, Gresik, and Palembang.

 The Chronicle of Tanah Jawi states that Raden Fatah refused to replace Arya Damar as regent of Palembang.  He fled to the island of Java accompanied by Raden Kusen.

 Arriving in Java, both studied at Sunan Ampel in Surabaya.  Raden Kusen then served in Majapahit, while Raden Fatah moved to Central Java to open the Glagahwangi forest into a pesantren.

 The longer Glagahwangi Islamic Boarding School is progressing.  Brawijaya (aka Bhre Kertabhumi) in Majapahit was worried that Raden Fatah was planning to rebel.  Raden Kusen, who at that time had been appointed Duke of Terung, was ordered to summon Raden Fatah.

 Raden Kusen confronted Raden Fatah to Majapahit.  Brawijaya (identified as Brawijaya V) was impressed and finally accepted Raden Fatah as his son. Raden Fatah was appointed as regent, while Glagahwangi was renamed Demak, with the capital city named NCO.

 Meanwhile, according to Chinese chronicles, Jin Bun moved from Surabaya to Demak in 1475. Then, he conquered Semarang in 1477, as a vassal of Demak.

 This made Kung-ta-bu-mi (aka Bhre Kertabhumi) in Majapahit restless.  However, thanks to the persuasion of Bong Swi Hoo (aka Sunan Ampel), Kung-ta-bu-mi is willing to recognize Jin Bun as a child, and formalize his position as regent in Bing-to-lo (Chinese spelling for Bintoro).

 According to the chronicle and fiber manuscripts, Raden Fatah had three wives.  The first was the daughter of Sunan Ampel, who became the main consort, giving birth to Raden Surya and Raden Trenggono.  Each successively, then ascended the throne, holding the title Prince Sabrang Lor and Sultan Trenggono.

 The second wife, a daughter from Randu Sanga, gave birth to Raden Kanduruwan.  This Raden Kanduruwan during the reign of Sultan Trenggono was instrumental in conquering Sumenep.

 The third wife was the daughter of the regent of Jipang, who gave birth to Raden Kikin and Ratu Mas Nyawa.  When Prince Sabrang Lor died in 1521, Raden Kikin and Raden Trenggono competed for the throne.

 Raden Kikin was eventually killed by Raden Trennggono's eldest son, Raden Mukmin alias Sunan Prawata, on the river bank.  Therefore, Raden Kikin was nicknamed Prince Sekar Seda ing Lepen, meaning the flowers that fell in the river.

 The Chinese chronicle only mentions two sons of Jin Bun, namely Yat Sun and Tung-ka-lo, who are identical to Prince Sabrang Lor and Sultan Trenggono respectively. 

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