Yet the house in the centre holds a most surprising museum collection, a private museum called the Nei Xue Tang (roughly translated as “The Hall of Inner Peace), home to some 10,000 pieces of Buddhist art with examples from different styles, regions and periods from around the world. This, of course, includes examples of religious sculpture from Southeast Asia.

Nei Xue Tang is the first private museum opened in Singapore. It is owned by Mr W. T. Woon, a lawyer and a devout Buddhist himself, who has been collecting Buddhist antiques since he was seven! The museum is a culmination of over 40 years of collecting Buddhist antiques – many from his own collection, and some others donated or bequeathed to Nei Xue Tang from corporations and individuals. In the collection, you’ll find examples from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and the different Chinese dynasties, but it’s the ones from Southeast Asia that I’ll be writing about, this post and next.

These three Buddhas are examples of Mon-Dvaravati art from Thailand. From left to right, they are: A bronze Buddha; A Buddha seated under a Bodhi tree; and another bronze Buddha. All of them date to around the 8th century. Little is known about the Dvaravati period on Thailand (6-11th centuries). The kingdom was centred around Central Thailand and seems to have played an important role in the spread of Buddhism to the rest of Southeast Asia. Later in history the Mon people seemed to have been assimilated into the growing influence of the neighbouring Khmer and Burmese empires.

As is typical of many of the Hindu and Buddhist art from Southeast Asia and Asia, many of these artefacts are unprovenanced, and it has taken years of collecting experience for Mr Woon to provide information about what style and region the artefact came from and its approximate date. Sadly, the archaeological context of these artefacts may well forever be lost. I have a sense of ambivalence while looking through exhibits at Nei Xue Tang, at once marveling at all the different styles of Buddhist sculpture under one roof, and at another a sense of sadness of how so much cultural heritage has been removed from its context, unable to tell any more stories. Still, it’s nice to see a private collector open his collection up for the public to enjoy, and experience the breadth of expression in Buddhist art. In part 2 of this article, we’ll take a look at some Khmer sculpture, and also some Khmer inscriptions.

Nei Xue Tang is located at 235 Cantonment Road, Singapore 089766. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children and the museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum also has a website.

SEAArch would like to thank Mr Woon and Nei Xue Tang for the permission to take photographs for this post.

Other books about Buddhism and Buddhist Art:
- The Art of Champa by J. Hubert
- Origins Of Thai Art by B. Gosling
- Ancient Pagan by D. Stadtner
- Asian Religions: An Illustrated Introduction by B. K. Hawkins
- Hindu-Buddhist Art Of Vietnam: Treasures From Champa by E. Guillon
- The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, the Walters Art Gallery by H. W. Woodward
- The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia (Suny Series in Religion) by D. K. Swearer
- Art of Sukhothai by C. Stratton and M. Scott

Gods on display

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There are two stories that unfold in the cool lofty rooms of Berlin’s 19th-century Martin-Gropius-Bau museum—a far cry from the sweaty heat of the National Museum of Phnom Penh, which has lent many of the exhibits. First, are the splendid sculptures dominated by a procession of the Hindu deities, Vishnu and Shiva, plus Harihara, who represents a mixture of both. One of the most striking is the serene face and upper body of Vishnu in a sleeping pose, an 11th-century fragment of what is believed to have been the largest bronze statue ever cast in Cambodia.

The second story is less obvious and probably unintended by the show’s organisers. It is to do with the wholesale looting of the temples that began when the French swept into Angkor 150 years ago. In the style of European colonisers of the period, acquisitive French explorers strapped prize statues onto the backs of locals for the trip out of the jungle, then loaded them onto rafts for the journey down the Mekong river for dispatch to Paris. Many ended up as the core of the collection of Asian art at Paris’s Musée Guimet.

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Read about the Angkor: Sacred Heritage of Cambodia exhibtion at the Martin-Gropius-Bau museum.

Books about the art and statuary of Cambodia and the Khmers:
- Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art by E. C. Bunker and D. Latchford
- Apsarases at Angkor Wat, in Indian context by K. M. Srivastava
- Khmer sculpture and the Angkor civilization by M. Giteau
- Art & Architecture of Cambodia (World of Art) by H. I. Jessup

The island of Karimun Besar (Greater Karimun) is a croissant-shaped island resting at the end of the Melaka strait – a great strategic position because from the north shore one can see Sumatra at the left and the Malay Peninsula in the right. In fact, the British once considered setting up base there because of its location – but Raffles opted instead for Singapore with the romantic notion of resurrecting the civilization (Temasek) that was mentioned in the Malay Annals.

I read about the inscription a long time ago, and was recently reminded by it when I attended a short course on the archaeology of Singapore. Dr. John Miksic, the course conductor, mentioned the Karimun inscription and inspired me to take a trip down to look for it. Finding the inscription was the tricky part, however. Dr Miksic mentioned visiting the place almost 20 years ago, so I was working with 20-year-old information. The only lead I had was that it must have laid on the north shore of the island, possibly by a beach. Locating the stone was also compounded by the fact that Karimun of late was mired in some tension over importing granite to Singapore – and that the granite quarry was also in the north side of the island.

So I was rather fortunate to have met with Tres, one of the taxi drivers who aggressively touted visitors to Karimun. For something like S$30, Tres would drive my party of three up to the northern Pasir Panjang beach. When he found out that we were looking for the stone inscription, he told us that he knew where it was and offered to drive us directly there.

It was a good thing he did – as it turns out the inscription was, as feared, inside the grounds of the granite quarry. We had to pass through two security checkpoints, as well as surrender our cameras at the second checkpoint where we continued on foot. Our guide was good to his word when he led us to a shed 100 metres away from the security post – the stone inscription was carved on the side of a large granite hill, in an area of about 3 metres by 3 metres. At a distance, trucks rumbled carrying workers and granite. The area around the inscription was fairly untouched and protected – a small wall, fence and roof were erected over the inscription, and the presence of incense offerings also indicated that the place was venerated as a shrine. There was even a government notice that indicated the inscription was protected.

(Yes, I snuck my phone camera in.) I think the current worshippers at the shrine are Sikhs, judging from the images placed at the shrine. This is quite strange, considering that the inscription was probably written by a Buddhist author:

According to Dr. Miksic, the inscription is written in Devanegari script and dates to the 9th or 10th century AD. It reads, “These are the footsteps of the illustrious Gautama the Mahayana Buddhist who possessed a round instrument.” Which was why I found it strange that it has become a site of Sikh veneration. Dr. Miksic also noted that the characters that formed the word “round instrument” are unique – they are not found in any other Indian inscription anywhere in the world. When I got home, I merged the two photos in photoshop-cleanup for better clarity:

What about the footprints that our illustrious Gautama left behind? At first, I thought it was the rounded depressions on the side of the hill beside the shrine. But Tres our guide came to the rescue again, pointing us to the footprint at the foot of the hill, 20 feet away.

The footprint was carved in the rock, but was partly covered by sand which was also wet. As a result, we couldn’t see if there were carvings at the bottom, but we managed to scoop out enough water to see the outline of the foot. Maybe the task for the next time I visit?

Related Books:
The article on Malaysia in Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History by I. Glover and P. S. Bellwood (Eds) mentions the Karimun inscription but not much else.

Where do you come from?..”Buri Rum”..Where is that?

Phanom Rung Historical Park, Chalermphrakiat district, Buri Ram province) In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, mountains are believed to be homes to the gods. Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung, a magnificent temple sanctuary set on the summit of Phanom Rung Hill, was built between the 10th and 13th centuries. According to the stone inscriptions in Sanskrit and Khmer found at the site, the original name of the temple complex is Phanom Rung, Khmer for big mountain

A religious sanctuary dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva, Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung symbolises Mount Kailasa, the heavenly abode of Shiva. Phanom Rung Hill rises 350 metres above the surrounding plain.

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Astro-archaeological Phenomenon at Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung Astrologers have also predicted that an extraordinary astro-archaeological phenomenon will occur at sunrise during the April 3-5 period this year. The doors of the temple sanctuary are so perfectly aligned that during this period, at sunrise on a cloudless day with clear blue skies, the sun’s rays will shine through all fifteen doorways of the sanctuary in a single shaft of light.

Related Books:
- Uncovering Southeast Asia’s Past: Selected Papers from the 10th International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists by E. A. Bacus, I. Glover and V. C. Pigott (Eds)
- Khmer Civilization and Angkor (Orchid Guides) by D. L. Snellgrove
- Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art by E. C. Bunker and D. Latchford

Sites tell of prehistoric societies

Mention Karawang, a city around three hours east of Jakarta, to most people and you’ll bring to mind images of rice fields or the lyrics of nationalist poet Chairil Anwar.

But few are aware that the area is home to 31 different archaeological sites from several civilizations. Some have been restored, while many others remain buried beneath the rice fields.

Frenchman Jean Boisllier was the first to conduct research in the area, digging in Cibuaya on the city’s outskirts in 1959.

His discovery revealed the remnants of a civilization close to the ancient kingdom of Tarumanagara, but later investigations have revealed finds dating back to prehistoric times.

Three years after Boisllier, a team of archaeologists led by R.P. Soejono found clay pots, tools, beads and human bones from a community that lived around 2000 to 1500 years ago in what is now Buni, in Bekasi. Now known as the Buni community, the items found in the area show the ability of their craftsmen.

A year later, noted researcher Edi Sedyawati studied statues depicting the Hindu god Vishnu that had been found in Cibuaya and concluded that they were from an 8th century civilization, along with a brick monument in the area.

In the 1980s, mounds of soil rising over the rice fields of Batujaya, west of Cibuaya, turned out to be ancient masonry constructions thought to date back to the 4th century.

Related Books:
- Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula by P. M. Munoz
- Ancient History (The Indonesian Heritage Series) by Indonesian Heritage
- Prehistoric Indonesia: A reader

Historical Treasure Troves Looted: West and Central Java

It appears that too many Indonesian farmers and the ilk have been watching Lara Cross and Tomb Raider recently. There have been two important archaeological finds in Central and West Java – both were looted.

The finds were in tombs in a rice field at Kendal Jaya village east of Jakarta, and the other in Sleman near Magelang in central Java.

In West Java, farmers have sold hundreds of gold artifacts stolen from skeletal corpses unearthed at a newly-found ancient burial complex. The skeletons had chains of gold rings around their necks, heads, hands, and feet.

They were buried with other accessories made of precious stones or gold as well as axes and other pottery articles. Between 15 and 25 people are estimated to have been buried at the site at a depth of only about 1.5 meters (five feet).

Archaeologists expressed concern at reports that hundreds of villagers have been selling gold necklaces and ornaments that they found at the site over the past week.

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Archaeological agency official Manggar Sariayuwati said it was estimated the relics dated back to an 8th or 9th century Buddhist kingdom.

And, an archaeological team working in Magelang district near Yogyakarta have also unearthed a site from the Mataram Kingdom dating back to the ninth century AD.

The site at Losari village is believed to possibly be even bigger than the famous Borobudur Buddhist monument near Yogyakarta city, which also dates back to around the ninth century.

The head of the Yogyakarta ancient heritage office, Manggar Sariayuwati, said that the findings were estimated to be dated from the eighth to the ninth century AD.

Java has many ancient sites dating back to the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms that flourished from the seventh century onwards.

Related Books:
- Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula by P. M. Munoz
- The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia (Suny Series in Religion) by D. K. Swearer

Thai antiquities unveiled to show true face of Buddhist culture

Starting today, visitors will have chance to admire 200 objects for either domestic or ritual use, including abundant amounts of ceramic, bronze and wood materials dated from 19th and 20th centuries all the way back to the 4th century BC.

The domestic section presents the collection of complex decorated ceramic wares made of many precious pottery materials like Sawankalok plates, celadon glazed ceramics or polychrome enamel fruit trays. Most of the displayed objects project Buddhist motifs or were used in offerings to Buddha.

Related Books:
- Origins Of Thai Art by B. Gosling
- The Arts of Thailand by S. Van Beek and L. Invernizzi
- The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia (Suny Series in Religion) by D. K. Swearer