Cultural interactions between Java and Sumatra during the 8th - 12th centuries

51 Sekretariat Perizinan Penelitian Asing Kementerian Riset dan Teknologi DIREKTORI PENELITIAN ASING DI INDONESIA 2013

30. Cultural interactions between Java and Sumatra during the 8th - 12th centuries

Tujuan Penelitian : Memahami keterhubungan budaya antara Jawa dan Sumatra dengan mempelajari budaya material dan mengeksplorasi tiga hal yang diharapkan dapat mereleksikan interaksi antara kedua pulau tersebut: 1 Hinduisme di Sumatra, 2 kerajinan perunggu, 3 seni di pantai utara Jawa Bidang Penelitian : Arkeologi Daerah Penelitian : DKI Jakarta, Jateng, Sumsel, Sumbar, Lampung, Jambi, Sumut Lama Penelitian : 12 dua belas bulan mulai 19 Januari 2012 Mitra Kerja : Puslitbang Arkeologi Nasional - Agustijanto Indradjaya Abstrak The present research proposal would like, at its humble scale, to encourage a joint relexion on the cultural relationships between Java and Sumatra. The study will focus on material culture. It was initially planned to explore three themes that would relect some degree of interaction between the two islands: 1 the art of the northern coast of Java, 2 bronze craftmanship, 3 Hinduism in Sumatra. Unfortunately, due to the lack of cooperation of the Museum Nasional, our second theme had to be abandoned and we have been focusing on the two other themes and, especially on the archaeology of Java’s north coast. Please note that the research proposed here will be carried out over several years. The completion of certain parts of the research depends on the availability of subsidies. Sumatra and Java have had contacts with one another since centuries: references to Java are found in late 7th century Sriwijaya inscriptions and several shipwrecks are proof of the existence of a commercial relationship between both islands. Besides, the most famous dynasty of Central Java, that of the Sailendras, had, according to the inscriptions, a close connection with Sriwijaya. Beyond these trade and political relationships, the present research would like to try to 52 Sekretariat Perizinan Penelitian Asing Kementerian Riset dan Teknologi DIREKTORI PENELITIAN ASING DI INDONESIA 2013 determine to what extent early Sumatranese and Javanese cultures inluenced one another and, more speciically, to what extent they shared artistic traditions. In most the litterature, the Buddhist kingdoms of Sumatra are opposed to the Hindu kingdoms of Central Java. The accent is on rivalry and political domination rather than on exchange and cultural interactions. With this research, I would like to explore the latter. One place where Javanese and Sumatran traditions possibly met is the northern coast of Central Java. This area was most than certainly an important point of contact between Java and the outer world. Hence part of the present study will be devoted to mapping, taking pictures, discribing the sculptures found along the northern coast of Java and try to assess their relationship with Central Java and with the Malay world. I would also like to raise the question of the place of Hinduism in Sumatra. While we get a clearer picture of the status of Buddhism and Hinduism in Java – and of the role played by Buddhism in the development of Central Javanese artistic traditions, we know little about the role of Hinduism on Sumatra. Hindu sculptures are mentioned in passim but the Hindu art of Sumatra has never been studied as such. This is all the more suprising given that one of the largest temple complexes of Sumatra – Bumiayu - is obviously Hindu. In an island that is often presented as a Buddhist stronghold, the very existence of such a site raises many questions. Did Hinduism reach beyond Bumiayu? To what extent was it a Javanese inluence or a local development? Is Hinduism linked to a speciic period? Do Javanese and Sumatranese Hinduism share the same features?

30.1 Dr. Veronique Myriam Yvonne Degroot