Page 33 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Ceramics from the Musi River

sculptured terracotta beasts, apparently produced on
site, were unique in the Sumatra context and suggested
Javanese influence.
The Pasemah Plateau, is located some 1000 metre a.s.l.,
to the east of the Barisan Ranges in the uppermost reaches
of the Musi River Basin. Unfortunately, little is known of
the Pasemah and Lahat megalithic and slab grave cultures
in this Plateau. The area around Pagar Alam, the modern
administrative capital of Pasemah was inhabited early in
the Christian era by a highly developed indigenous culture
that carved and erected large stone monuments, including
uprights, cup-like mortars, troughs with human heads,
carved figures, terraced platforms, three-legged ‘dolmen’
burial chambers, and many dynamic stone carvings of
humans and animals (Bellwood 1985:293). However, in
2012 a group from Badan Arkeologi Palembang reported
in Antara via Kompas (29 August 2012) the discovery of
a large 250 hectare temple site near the village of Rimba
Candi which has numerous stone ruins including blocks,
pillars and nine large balls and an alter-like structure which
is of Sriwijaya or Majapahit origin. Selanap (2011) also
reported gold, jade and rubies at Rimba Candi, which
have been identified as either Sriwijaya or Majapahit.
Van der Hoop (1932) established a firm link between
the Pasemah civilization and the bronze-working Dong
Son culture of northern Vietnam. He did this by showing
that in several instances Pasemah carved warriors were
depicted carrying a bronze Dong Son kettledrum, the
likes of which first arrived in Indonesia in the 1st century
(Kempers 1988). In addition to these bronze kettledrums,
Indian beads, Han dynasty pottery shards and red polished
tall necked kendis have been found in the Pasemah
megalithic sites and Ulu Musi (and Jambi) jar burial
complexes (Manguin 2017). Other ‘megalithic’ structures
found at Kota Raya in kecamatan Janai, about 5 km to
the north of Pagar Alam were stone burial chambers, or
cist graves. These had painted and decorated walls. They
were probably contemporary with the stone monuments
(Caldwell 1997) and were similar to cist graves found on
the west coast of the Malay Peninsula (Evans 1929).
Manguin (2009) mentioned a white porcelain Chinese
vase of the 6th–7th century which was allegedly found
in Pasemah and was collected by Orsoy de Flines. It is
now located in the Indonesia National Museum Jakarta
(Registration number 3068).
Manguin (2009) states that the early-Sriwijaya period
or phase may be characterized by the Buddhist statues
found upstream of Palembang. These statues belong to
one stylistic type derived from the Indian Gupta art. They
are similar to those found in late-Funan, pre-Anchorian
and early-Dvaravati sites between early-7th and 8th century.
They are characterised by standing upright with a tight
fitting monastic robe covering both shoulders so that
from the front they appear symmetrical.

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