Statues of The Sriwijaya Kingdom

INDEPHEDIA.com - The Sriwijaya Kingdom on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, which is known today not only left the Muaro Jambi Temple, Muara Takus Temple and several inscriptions, but also other historical relics.

Among the relics from the era of the Sriwijaya Kingdom, there are at least 4 statues that have been found that are rarely known to many people.

The four statues are the Buddha Statue in the Amarawati style, known as the Siguntang Hill Buddha Statue, the Awalokiteshwara Statue and the Mahayana Buddha Statue and the Bodhisattva Maitreya Statue.

Siguntang Hill Buddha Statue

Photo Source: Kemdikbud

The Siguntang Hill Buddha Statue, according to Kebudayaan.kemdikbud, was found in the 1920s on Siguntang Hill, Palembang City, South Sumatra Province.

At the time it was found, this statue consisted of several fragments of granite statues which turned out to be from a Buddha statue that was quite large in size.

The head of this statue was originally kept in the National Museum and then reunited with the body. The foot of this statue, until now has not been found.

At this time, the Siguntang Hill Buddha Statue can be seen in the courtyard of the Sultan Mahmud Badarudin II Museum which is in the Kuto Besak Fort Area.

The Buddha statue found at the Siguntang Hill Site is depicted in a standing position.

Her hair is described as small curls covering the entire head and at the top center there is a kind of round and small bun (usnisa).

The clothes worn were a kind of long striped robe. The dress covers both shoulders.

Regarding the dating, seen from the depiction of the statues, the overall appearance of the statues is in the style of the statues from the Amarawati artistic period.

Based on this art style, it is possible that the Buddha statue from Siguntang Hill dates from the 6th-7th century AD.

Avalokiteshwara Statue and Mahayana Buddha Statue

Photo Source: Kemdikbud

The Awalokiteshwara Statue and Mahayana Buddha Statue were found at the Bingin Jungut Site on the east side of the Musi River in Bingin Jungut Village, Muara Kelingi District, Musi Rawas Regency, South Sumatra Province.

This site was first reported by Schnitger in 1937 in his book entitled "The Archeology of Hindoo Sumatra".

Furthermore, he mentioned that the four-armed Awalokiteswara Statue was found from the site.

The Awalokiteswara Statue is now kept at the National Museum, D-216-247 and the unfinished Buddha Statue is currently kept at the Balaputradewa Museum in Palembang.

The four-armed Awalokiteswara Statue is depicted in a standing position, measuring 192 cm high and wearing a crown decorated with Amithaba Buddha.

On the back there is an inscription that reads //daŋ ācāryya syuta//. The statue is a Mahayana Arcaha which was made in place after the Sailendra family ruled over Java in the 7th–9th century AD.

Based on the form of the writing, the Awalokiteswara Statue dates from around the 8th century AD.

Meanwhile, an unfinished Buddha Statue is depicted in a position where the palm of the right hand is directed forward, while the left hand is covered with a robe.

The lower part of the statue has not been completed. The Buddha statues include Mahayana Buddhas which were made on site and may have existed when I-Tsing lived in Sriwijaya.

 

Maitreya Bodhisattva Statue

Photo Source: Wikipedia

The Maitreya Bodhisattva Statue, also known as the Maitreya statue made of bronze, was found in Komering, South Sumatra Province.

The statue of Maitreya with the characteristic stupa on the crown is Sriwijaya art around the 9th to 10th century AD.

In Buddhism, Bodhisattva Maitreya is the future Buddha. In Chinese, Maitreya is known as Mile Pusa.

Currently, the Maitreya Bodhisattva Statue is in the collection of the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta, Inv. 6025. (*)