Page 224 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

The site of the Kedulan Temple was discovered in 1993 during digging for sand because of
the huge sand deposits in the area. These sediments are what buried the Kedulan Temple.
Only the Kedulan Temple has been fully researched, even though it had collapsed and
was hidden in the sand. Archeological studies focus primarily on the site and questions of
why it was abandoned, and why it was damaged, whether due to a natural disaster or for
some other reason.
From geological research, it was found out that the temple was hidden because it was
covered with mud flow from volcanic eruptions in different periods. The analysis of soil
types which covered the temple, but which have now been removed or dredged, shows
13 layers. The layers have been identified as a form of sediment of volcanic mud flow. This
means that the mud flow burying the temple came from 13 separate volcanic eruptions.
An analysis of the cross section of rock structure (stratigraphy) done during the
excavating of the temple site shows the remains of trees in the same layer as the basic
elevation of the temple. Up till then, no trees had been found by archeologists anywhere
in the temple, though they were known to grow outside it. This led to speculation about
the reason for the presence of trees and that the temple might have been different from
other temples.

Profile of rock stratigraphy
burying the temple

The results of a temporary reconstruction show that the temple was similar to
Sambisari Temple which is located nearby about two kilometers away. It appears that the
temple had been abandoned and not used before it was covered with the sediment of mud
flow burying it.

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