Jakarta , Museum theft: ancient Hindu Mataram kingdom artifacts stolen
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - There is
still no news of four ancient - and priceless - artifacts dating back to the
10th century AD , stolen in recent days from the National Museum in the center
of Jakarta , Indonesia. The
works of art date back to the Mataram kingdom , a powerful Hindu monarchy, that
dominated the region of Central Java between the 8th and the 11th century. Since
the police investigation has failed to provide any results - as indeed happened
in the past in such incidents - the Indonesian Ministry of Education and
Culture has launched an independent investigation that will try to shed light
on thefts and disappearances in recent years. The
team will be made up of experts, archaeologists, collectors and private
individuals in an attempt to prevent the "smuggling" of the works of
art onto the black market.
The
Buddhist and Hindu cultures have left their mark on Indonesia, today the most
populous Muslim nation in the world, in works of inestimable value. Among
the world heritage sites are the Borobudur Temple in Magelang , in central Java
, the largest Buddhist temple in the world and one of the most important places
of the Hindu - Buddhist legacy of Mataram .
Another
site of enormous value is the Lorojonggrang Temple in Yogyakarta , better known
as Prambanan Temple because of the place where it stands , the sub-district of
Prambanan , which is also the largest Hindu temple in the country.
Once
th sunset on the glories of the Indo- Buddhist domination of the early
centuries of the second millennium , in the 17th century the Islamic kingdom of
Mataram emerged, traces of which are still visible today in the Muslim
sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta . Both
are included in the province of Central Java , but they have no great influence
at a local political level except for king Hamengku Buwono X , who is the
sultan and governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
The
artifacts that disappeared in recent days belong to the Hindu Mataram kingdom. The
theft has sown confusion and anger among art lovers. So
far the police have not found useful leads to solve the case and neither does
the Ministry of Culture intend to release information or a personal statement
on the matter. Generic
promises have been made to step up security measures, as is already taking
place in the ports and airports of the archipelago to prevent their being
smuggled to third countries , destined to feed the desires of anonymous
collectors. Despite
this, according to well informed sources the items are already on their way to
Europe after having made stops in Singapore.
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18/12/2023 19:11
