The destruction of Candi 11/3 at Bujang Valley has sparked many questions: Why weren't the ruins gazetted as a historical legacy and why was the temple leveled? Why should be held responsible for this crime?
Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir even said the developer was willing to compensate, but where was the root of all this negligence?
The entire Bujang Valley archeoological area covers 140 square kilometers. More than 50 temples have been recorded in historical chronicles. English archeologist HG.Quaritch Wales was to first to discover the ruins back in 1926. Many relics were subsequently unearthed at the site.
According to Kedah 2000 Tahun by Cheng Siak Kim, the Indian temples were built there to commemorate the rulers, nobles and monks who had passed on. The architecture of temples in Bujang Valley belonged to the same class as that of Indian temples in Sumatra during the Srivijaya era. Archaeologists subsequently rebuilt the temples in Batu Pahat, Merbok, based on the blueprint of the temple structures found in Sumatra.
Sin Chew Daily went back to the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum in Merbok and was told by the person-in-charge that the ruins discovered prior to 2006 come under the jurisdiction of the museum while those discovered after that are managed by the National Heritage Department in accordance with the National Heritage Act 2005.
She told Sin Chew Daily even though the museum is in possession of the information on Candi 11/3, the museum is not responsible for the destruction of the temple.
Pretext?
When we visited the USM Sungai Batu archeological site, a researcher told us it was a big loss to the country that a historical ruin was destroyed under the pretext that it was not known to be of historical significance.
He said it took archaeologists plenty of effort to slowly restore the historical ruins, adding that he had visited the Candi 11/3 site before its destruction, and was shocked by the way the relic was preserved and the land deal was carried out without any consideration of the structure's historical value.
Online rumors claim that even the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum has been vandalized. However, the person-in-charge at the museum told us that all the relics kept inside the museum are intact.
She said the National Heritage Department would visit the ruins twice a month, and found that Candi 11/3 was already destroyed during its second visit in September.
She emphasized that the National Heritage Department has the right to charge the developer, adding that this is no more the responsibility of the museum.
A 52-year-old senior local tour guide Mr Lim told that although the authorities are concerned about the ruins found in Bujang Valley, they have nevertheless failed to promote their historical significance among the general public.
Other than rich cultural legacy, the area is also known for its mangrove swamp and a jetty as well as another proposed jetty for boats to Pulau Langkawi.
His company has launched a full day tour that includes a visit to the mangrove swamp, historical ruins and seafood dinner, but the package has not managed to catch much attention among tourists.
Osman, Sanusi, Azizan
Former Kedah menteri besar Tan Sri Osman Aroff is also saddened by the destruction of ancient ruins in Bujang Valley.
He said when the state government approved the Kedah international resort project in 1993, Bujang Valley was to be promoted as an important historical site. Unfortunately the project failed to take off and subsequently private developers were allowed to purchase land there, destroying an ancient temple ruin just to build some residential houses.
He could not understand why the state government land could fall into the hands of private developers.
He said when he was the menteri besar, the project was supposed to be jointly developed by the state government and a Qatari company with the state government holding 40% stake in the joint venture. 400 hectares of surrounding land was acquired by the state government for this project.
The Kedah international resort project was supposed to create an attractive package with forest park, hotels and historical relics in Bujang Valley.
Osman Aroff was the menteri besar from 1985 to 1996. His successor Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, who was in office from 1996 to 1999, has said he rejected the resort project between the state government and a foreign company owing to national restrictions.
The person-in-charge at Bandar Saujana Sdn Bhd told Sin Chew Daily his company acquired eight plots of land in Sungai Batu from another developer early this year.
For state executive councilor Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah said under the Pakatan state government, the developers threatened to sue the government if they were not allowed to carry on with the housing project there. However, the late former menteri besar Tan Sri Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak rejected the deal because the state government felt is was unnecessary for foreign companies to be involved in construction of residential houses in historical site.
Director of USM Center for Global Archaeological Research Professor Dr. Mohd Mokhtar Saidin stressed that all development projects in Bujang Valley must first seek approval from the National Heritage Department to ensure that the archaeological site is properly preserved.
He told Sin Chew Daily that everyone, especially residents in the vicinity of the archaeological site, has the responsibility to preserve the integrity of the site, and report any issues that have been encountered.
He said the USM archaeological site in Sungai Batu is located 4km from the destroyed temple, adding that site is being guarded round the clock as studies are still being conducted there.
Since USM started the archaeological studies at the Sungai Batu site in 2009, only one place of worship has so far been discovered.
"Indeed USM has once planned to build replicas of all the temples in Bujang Valley at the Sungai Batu integrated tourist center."
Why stop at 600 years when our history goes back 2,000 years
Kedah historian Cheng Siak Kim pointed out that we should not stop at the Malaccan Sultanate 600 years ago when compiling the history of this country, but should trace back more than two thousand years ago to the ancient Indian civilization in Bujang Valley on the foothills of Mount Jerai.
He said the Merbok estuary used to be a very important seaport with trade links with ancient China.
"The Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum was officiated by the Agong cum Kedah Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim on January 23, 1980. The government should appreciate this historical site and invite foreign leaders to visit Bujang Valley."
He said the 2,000-year-old Indian civilization is an integral part of the country's history that must not be overlooked by anyone. - mysinchew
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