The Kediri Regency area, East Java, is known as an area with many finds of ancient objects. Most recently, an artifact similar to a monument or stamba was found in Kayunan Village, Wates District in mid-January 2024.
Artifacts made from andesite stone which are 170 centimeters long and 76 centimeters thick were found during excavation of uruk soil. Along with it were also found a number of artifacts free from bricks.
On the lower body of the monument artifact, ancient Javanese script is carved with the number 1123. In fact, the condition of the carving is still quite clear.
The discovery of this monument-like artifact is considered an important and quite significant finding. Head of the History and Antiquities Division of the Culture and Tourism Service of the Kediri Regency Government, Eko Priatno, said that the artifact has now been moved from the discovery location to the local village hall. “Temporarily moved to the village hall due to security factors. “Moreover, the land found at the location is quite unstable so it is prone to landslides in the rainy season,” said Eko Priatno, Friday (26/1/2024). According to him, the transfer is temporary because he is waiting for a recommendation for an appropriate storage location from the East Java Cultural Preservation Center (BPK)

Artifact Condition Eko Priatno said that until now it is not yet known for certain whether this artifact has a monument function, a peg function, or even a stamba function. Because, review by experts is still ongoing. During the initial inspection of the location of the findings, said Eko, the artifacts were scattered and it was suspected that they were no longer in situ or had shifted in location or even function.
Artifacts were also found that were thought to not be in context with their era or chronology. This can be seen in the use of rock types and the structure of the artifacts. “Our ancestors used to be very careful. It’s impossible for the brick layer structure to have andesite because of the (gluing) system of rubbing the bricks and bricks. Usually the andesite is in the corners as reinforcement,” said Eko. The main material for this monument artifact is solid andesite. It is identical to the days of the Kediri Kingdom. Meanwhile, the materials in other loose artifacts are brick and porous andesite. Porous andesite is synonymous with the Majapahit Kingdom as is the Surowono temple and Tegowangi temple. So it is strongly suspected that the artifact has undergone a rearrangement effort and then it is also possible that it could change function. It could be an altar or another unknown form.
“It is alleged that it has been reorganized. “There is an effort to reorganize it, which perhaps (the arrangement) was hundreds of years ago,” said Eko.

Important Meaning

The discovery itself is an important and quite interesting discovery. One of the important values ​​is the discovery of the first artifact in Kediri complete with encryption.

Eko said that so far there have been findings of other monument artifacts outside Kediri. Namely in the Tulungagung area and the Blitar area with the same characteristics. However, what differentiates them is the placement of the characters. On an artifact thought to be a monument in Kediri, the characters read the number 1123. This is thought to be an indication of the Saka year. And if converted to AD it means 1201 AD. “From Saka to AD we add 78 and then 1201 appears,” said Eko, who has an archaeological background.

In that year, Eko explained, if we refer to the chronology of Javanese kings, it was the era of the Kediri Kingdom with the top government led by King Kertajaya. The last king of Kediri after being defeated by Ken Arok in 1222 AD. That means the monument artifact had a lifespan of 21 years before Kediri collapsed. “So when the Kingdom of Kediri was still quiet, ” he concluded.
Today these artifacts are still the subject of in-depth study by archaeologists and historians. (Kompas)