Hello buddy! Indonesia was once in the Hindu-Buddhist kingdom. There are many relics from the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms such as temples, inscriptions, and statues. These relics are evidence that there was once a kingdom in that location.
One of the historical relics found in the Special Region of Yogyakarta is the Kedulan Temple. This temple with a Hindu religious background is located in Kedulan Hamlet, Tirtomartani Village, Kalasan District, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta.
Kedulan Temple was first discovered by sand miners on November 24, 1993. After being discovered, this temple was immediately carried out a number of conservation activities such as rescue, data collection, and also anastilosis (restored ruins) in a period of several years.
At that time there was some written evidence of the relics of the Kedulan Temple, namely the Sumundul Inscription, the Pananggaran Inscription, and the Tlu Ron Inscription. The Sumundul inscription and the Pananggaran inscription were first discovered in 2002 during a feasibility study, while the discovery of the Tlu Ron inscription 13 years later in 2015.
According to the official website of the Yogyakarta Cultural Heritage Center, the inscriptions were issued during the reigns of different kings. The Sumundul and Pananggaran inscriptions date back to the same period, namely 868 AD (Old Mataram era). These two inscriptions were issued during the reign of King Rakai Kayuwangi Dyah Lokapala (855-884 AD). While the Tlu Ron inscription dates from 900 AD, it was issued during the time of King Balitung (898-910 AD). There is a difference of 32 years between the publication of the two inscriptions.
The Sumundul inscription and also the Pananggaran inscription contain the current construction of the dam around the Kedulan Temple. The dams are used to irrigate agricultural land around the sacred building. The crops will be used as offerings to this sacred building. This was commonplace in those days
The Tlu Ron inscription then complements the information contained in the two previous inscriptions. In this inscription, the origins of the construction of the dam are mentioned as well as the failures that occurred during the construction period. Apparently, the construction of this dam failed three times due to various factors such as natural disasters and others.
The failure of this construction made King Balitung feel frustrated and think about how to make the dam construction successful. He finally appointed a makudur as the leader of the dam construction. Makudur is the leader of the sima determination ceremony . Sima itself is land that is demarcated and part of the proceeds are used to support sacred religious needs. Makudur served as the reciter of spells and oaths during the sima ceremony .
The appointment of this makudur as a development leader was very rare in the era of Ancient Mataram. No one knows the exact reason why Makudur was chosen by the King of Balitung. However, it seems that this policy was taken because the king was quite frustrated by the continuous failure of the dam construction.
From the discovery of this Kedulan Temple, we can learn how valuable historical heritage is. Kedulan Temple is a new contribution to the treasures of historical cultural studies in our country. Therefore, let’s take care and take care of the remaining historical sites so that their existence is preserved!