The Sambas Treasure is a hoard of ancient gold and silver buddhist sculptures found near the town of
Sambas in west
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
that now form part of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
's collection. Dating from 8th–9th centuries AD, they pre-date the coming of Islam to the Indonesian archipelago by four centuries and were probably made in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
.
"A Cache of Buddhist figures from the Sambas Treasure"
Khan Academy. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
History of Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Until Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
became the dominant religion in Indonesia in the 13th Century, both Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
were adopted from the India subcontinent as the principal local religions. Over time, many buddhist sculptures were transported to the islands by pilgrims returning from holy sites in eastern India. These in turn inspired local craftsmen who developed their own styles and traits. The buddhist sculptures from Sambas Treasure were almost certainly made in Java based on artistic models that were developed in eastern India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
centuries before.
Discovery and ownership
The Sambas Treasure was found in a large earthenware pot on the south-west coast of Borneo sometime during the 1940s. It was then owned by the collector Tan Yeok Seong, a Singaporean historian of Southeast Asia and a collector of historical artifacts. The treasure was subsequently bought by the philanthropist PT Brooke Sewell, who donated it to the British Museum in 1956.
Description
The hoard is composed of nine gold and silver buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
and bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
images. The largest figure is approximately 18 cm high and represents a standing Buddha made of sold silver. In addition to the Buddhist sculptures, the treasure includes a bronze incense burner in the shape of a house and a silver votive plaque with text in dhāraṇī
Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the Bud ...
, which was found in the base of the large Buddha figure. The high quality of the craftsmanship and the use of precious metals such as gold and silver suggest they were originally made for an important local dignitary or patron.
Gallery
Image:Sambas-BM-2.JPG, Avalokiteshvara figure with ruby in the backplate
Image:British Museum Asia 8.jpg, Silver standing Buddha under a parasol
Image:British Museum Asia 51.jpg, Bronze incense burner in the shape of a house
Image:British Museum Asia 9.jpg, Avalokiteshvara holding a rosary and a book
Image:Sambas-BM-3.JPG, Buddha with flaming halo and bodhisattva avalokiteshvara
Image:Sambas-BM-5.JPG, Seated Buddha, Padmapani and female bodhisattva
Bibliography
*N. Tarling, The Cambridge History of South East Asia (Cambridge University Press, 1992)
*R. Fisher, Buddhist art and architecture (London, Thames & Hudson, 1993)
References
{{reflist
Asian sculptures in the British Museum
Buddha statues
Buddhist art