The Sambas Treasure / Harta Karun dari SAMBAS

Silver Buddha on a bronze lotus base

From Borneo, Indonesia; probably made in Java 8th or 9th century AD

Sculpture from the Sambas Treasure

The right hand of the Buddha is held in the gesture of argument or discussion (vitarkamudra), his left holds his robes. He stands before an aura of light edged with flames. Above his head is a parasol, a reminder of his early life as a prince. This very fine image is solid cast in silver with a small gold inlay in the centre of his forehead (urna), a distinctive mark of the Buddha. Gold inlay is typical of many bronze images made in eastern India. Metal sculptures were carried to the islands of South-east Asia by pilgrims returning from the Buddhist holyland in eastern India. However, the style of this image is local, and it was probably made in Java.

This is one of a large group discovered at Sambas in western Borneo and thus known as the ‘Sambas Treasure’. Until the coming of Islam in the late thirteenth century, much of island South-east Asia professed Buddhism or Hinduism. This sculpture is one of the earliest found in this area of maritime South-east Asia. With this image were found eight other gold and silver images, either the Buddha or bodhisattvas, along with a unique bronze incense burner in the shape of a house. Sambas was important as an ancient source of gold in South-east Asia. The production of so many images in such prestigious materials as gold and silver suggest that they were made for a very wealthy patron.

N. Tarling (ed.), The Cambridge history of South (Cambridge University Press, 1992)

R.E. Fisher, Buddhist art and architecture (London, Thames & Hudson, 1993)

Source : British Museum dot org

cerite ngade ngade

CERITE NGADE NGADE
ge’ mare’ jaman inggris na’ nguase’ nagri sambas, datanglah pasukan inggris pakai kapal ampat buah, semue  kapal pannoh leh laskar inggris. pas waktu iye, ade urang kampong kame bekayuh ngabbut sinolo’an dangan kapal inggris, siage’ age’an ngabbut, ma’lum rupe nye kawan to’ bejaje ikan pare’ salai, na’ dijajekan ke urang inggris. barang tade perawunye siage’ age’an laju, ballom sampai ke lanting, perawunye dilanggar leh kapal inggris. die tikajjut urang inggris pun tikajjut.

laka’ iye datang lah panglime laskar inggris ye, ngerebeh. lalu panglime iye marah: “he, you orang mau jadi extremist he, apa mau you, I gantung and kaki diatas and kepala dibawah, he…….”

merase ade jimat kabbal, urang tade pun marah: “bayya’ bayya’ tuan, tuan to’ be nang melanggar perawu saye, tang alu tuan ude’ nang ngerepek, minta kallar ke ape….ha. poko’nye minta ganti rugi, perawu saye sampai tibelungking ye”

“what? ganti rugi? ha ha ha” merah merah muke panglime tade’ titawa. “bullshit, itu kan only kayu and kayu, I punya kapal dari kayu, and you punya perahu also dari kayu, kenapa I harus ganti rugi, ha ha ha”

“oooooooo, gayye be iiiiiiiiii” kate orang tade’ merah mukenye, bebulu atinye dangar olo’an panglime tadi. lalu diterapa’nye panglime tadi diraggangnye, lalu diambe’nye barang dalam kocekannye, lalu betanya dangan panglime tadi “tuan tau ape to’ ee?” “that’s pari punya kulit” jawab panglime. laka’ iye di hontoskannye kulit pare tadi ke jandul panglime nang langar ye siage’ agean kuat, sampai ngrauk panglime ye baru dilappaskannye.

“tembak itu orang” panglime merentahkan anak buahnye. “sabar dolo tuan, tuan ndak parlu marah, suruh latakan beroneng anak buah tuan ye, tade tuan ngomong kayu dengan kayu daan ape ape, sekarang kulit dengan kulit, berarti ndak ape ape lah”

panglime tade’ ndak rabbah bunyi mati kutu,  macam tikus basa’ kesupanan.