new light on the ancient settlement of kedah and province ......kedah and province wellesley hj' n....

New Light on the Ancient Settlement of

Kedah and Province Wellesley hJ'

n. A. V. PLACOCK Department of History. Uni\'crsity of Malaya

The historical importance of the lIinclu-lluddhist remains in Kcdah and Province Wellesley has long been recognised. The firsl archaeological discoveries in the region \~cre made by Colonel James Low during the nineteenth century (Low. 1908: Lllidlaw), followed ill the 1920~ and 1 930~ by sporadic exploration and excavation by Mr. 1.I-1.N.Evans of the Petal: Museum. Taiping ((,aIlS. 1926. 19)0. 1931). Just before the ou tbreak of World War II. a major cX('ICdition to Kcdnh lind other ~'lalayan sites was mounted by Dr. and Mrs.H.G.Quarilch-Wales under the sponsorship of the Gm'ernmellts of the Stutes of Kcdah, PeTak and Johor. Dr.Quaritch-W:tlcs in \'esliga led ovcr Ihiny silcs in Kedah and l'rO\'ince Wellesley during Ihe course of fourleen monlhs of fieldwork, IIi s reporlS are sli ll authoritative and Ihe major sou rce of delailc:d informalion on the Indianised sellie meni of Norlli Mala)a (Ouarilch-Wales. 1940. 1947).

Since the .... ar. inlerest in the archae-ology of the regiun \\a~ rene .... cd by a series of surveys and cxcavations begin-ning in 1956 by the Universil)' of Malaya (Singapore) lind the Federalion Museums Deparlmcnt under thc principal direction of Professor K.G .Tregon ning. Dr. M. Sullivan. Dr. I-I .A.lamb and the writer. who was OIl Ihe tillie Curator of the Perak Mu seu m (Sulli\·an. 1958: Lamb. 1959. 1960. 1961). Dr.lamb·s work has been particularly productive and is worthy of specia l nOlice. Work ing more imensi\'ely lind "ith much greuter technical compe-lencc than his predeccssors. Dr. lamb has addcd cnormousl), to our knowledge of the early history of Soulheast Asia. culminaling in the complele and splendid reconstruction of the Chom/i BIIkit BOlu Pohot .... hich was undertaken with the

cooper.lllon of I'rorebor B.P. Groslier and M.Louis Contan! of the £.ole FrOIlCtli.f(' d'Extrl'fm' Ork", in 1959. Dr. Lamb's articles and monographs have paved the way for a reassessment of many of the cherished traditions of Kedah archaeology.

In 1968. the Archaeological Research Unit of the Uni\ersily of Mala)'a with the Muzium Ncgarn. Kuala Lumpur. initiated rurther studies of the archaeo-logicul remains in the Sungai fI.-leTbo k and Sungai Muda region. Surveys and ~xt·'l\'a tion carried out in the field by Mr.M.Kua under the writer's direction h3\"e considerably amplified our under-standing of th~ subject and tend to corroborate some of the ideas put forward by Dr.L'lmb. It is the purpose of this note to summansc th~s~ ad\·anc~s.

The m'lin area of uncient sett lement in Kcdah and PrO\'ince Wellesle)' lies on the southern slope of Gunong Jcrai (Kcdah Peal) and bet ..... een the Sungai Merbok and Sungai M uda. Within this area the pnncipal concentration of siles is found on the right and left banks of the middle reaches or the Sungai Bujang. a southward flowing tributary of the Sungai ~'Ierbok. The fine stone-buill Challdi Bllkit Batll I'oll(l( is si tuated outsi de thi s conccntration on a spu r of Gunong Jerai overlooking the right bank of the Sungai Merbok Kechi!. Other important localities. such as the Malang Pa si r site and the site at Tikam Bato. lie further to the south dose to the north bank of the Sungui Muda.

Based on an lInal)sis of his archaeo-logical findings and also to some eX-lent on historical sources. Dr.Quaritch-Walcs proposed an elabomte pcriodisation of the history of Indianised scu lc:menl in

- 10-

Hak Cipta Terpelihara © 1970 – Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia


Kcdah lind Province Wdlesley. His scheme posu,latcd four main ...... wes of Indian cultura l expansion (Qua ri tch-Wale). 19-u): pp.67 - 85). The first ..... ave. datcd to bct\Ooeen the first and third centuries A.D.. rests on the slcnder evidence of Ptolemaic toponyms and the disl:overy by Mr.G.B.Gardner of wha t were claimed to be Roman heads and "early" I\Ollery alnng the Johor RiVer. To tht.: )econd wave. circa )00 to ci rca 550 A.D .. Quaritch·Wales ascribes his Kedah si tes I - ) and also the MflhflflQl';ko /Jmldlwgupw. Cherok To).,un and Bukit Meriam inscriptions reco\'(.~red by Colonel James Low ( l amb. 196). Since theS(: inscriptions are all clearly Buddhist and sites I - ) could likewise be reasonably in terpreted as the remain~ of lI uddhisl )Iupas. Quaritch-Wale) concluded thai during tllb period the predominant innu-ence in Kedah ..... as Buddhi~l.

The third wa\c renected a mar).,ed cultural and perhap) political change. During thl) time. from cIrca 550 to circa 750 A.D .. Kcdah came under the innucnce uf 1Iindu Ilalla\a coluni)b and. ;\ci,:ording to Quantch . \Va1cs. Kcdah and ils si~tcr selllement of Ta\..uapa in S\1\1thcrn Thai-land formed Ihe bndgehcad) from "hil;h .. . .. Hindu culture was transported o\cr· land to C'aiya and ligor on the Eoht Cll;!)!. .... (Qu;lfItch,W:lb. 1940: pg.70). This Hindu Palla\'a innuencc \\a~ super· )edcd in Kcdah during the fourth wit\e

from cir~1 750 10 circa 900 A.D. by Mahayanist Buddhist influence which. he maintained. came not on ly from Soulh India but also from the Pala kingdom of Denga l.

A closer look at QUllritch-Wales' his-torica l conclusions shows Iha t they depend for :1 good denl of thei r justification on the dating :tnd com parative typology of a handful of small finds from the Kedllh si tes and a siudy of the plans of the structures thcmselves. For e:campic. he auribu\cd Kedah sites 4 - 8. a class of chandi temples consisting of a l'imOIlO or sanctuary wi th an auachcd manr/flptlm or platform projecting towards the east. to bet\\ecn the mid six th to the mid eighth centuries. th:1I is to say his third wave of Hindu Pallava influence. Sites 10 - 23. on the other hund. which clustcr in the middle rcaches of the Su ngai Dujang. and also the site at ~'I :Hang Pasir excavated by Mr). QU:lfitch·WaJes in 1941. he allnbuted 10 the fourth or Mahayan ist Buddhist wa\e of the mid eighth to tenth centurie~ A.D. lind later periods down to the twelfth and th ineent h centuries A.D. It i\ 'Worth noting in this eonnexion that he considered site II to be not a temple but a secular building. perhaps "a royal audience h:tll or counci l chamber" on the gruunds of ils double· walled constructio n which he thought to be an unusu:11 fea ture (Qua ritch.Wulcs. 1940: pg.25). Fig. I.

-t·

~~--~------~.~.

Fig. /. Plall of Kedah Site 11. - 21 -



Quuritch-Walcs also had difficulty with the in terpretation of site I ]:1. He sap. "If indeed the brick loanctuar\' hild bct:n a "imalla of a S'ai\a temple' simi la r 10 ~i te 4 etc. one might ha\c suppo~d that the ~tructurc 13:1 ..... hich slOlld )ilUth-c;llot of it facing thc river ..... ould be It) con-nl'Clcd /lllIIltJapa",. flut in fact there IS :1 dclinite space bet .... cen the t .... o ~tructure) and ]]a diITered from anything we had )ecn before'· (Qua ritch-Wales. 1940 pg.29). Fig. 2. We \h;11I return to tIL" point luter.

We no .... hu\e strong Cl ldcnce, the result of "'ora.. ca rried out )LnCC the \Iar. that mally of Quuritch.Wulcs' conclUloiolls must be cha llenBcd. It may \\1.:]1 be thaI the grea ter part of hi) perilldl);Lt lon. of earl) Kedah hi stor)" is In need ofre\I)lon. In partl cul:ir il has becomc clear III the collt)eofthc n\ll) t recent \\tlrl. thaI man )" of hi s observations :Lrc at fault and based on the incomplete e:\c:l\ation nfllldi\ ldual )i tc).

The e,'(ca\ation of the Matang Pa~lr )i te led Mr). QUiLr1tch-Walc) to bdlc\e tha t she had uncmered the "massivc laterite plinth of .... hat appeared III h:ne bee n a perched bUi lding. . the malll )tructure of laterite measuring :Ihou t 19 feCI ~q\la re . Frtlm il 011 th c \IC)t "de projected ror tcn feet Ihe ruined lo .... cr course of a bricl. and laterite p(ln:h'· . " ., .

I

(Quaritch-Walcs. 1947). Th is site .... as rc-illle)llgatcd by a te;,"1 from the UJ\l l"ersity of Mala):! (Singapore, under Dr.~·1. Sullilan, The difficulties in its (;orrcct illierpret a lioll .... erc I\ot ho .... c\er clea red :1\1:1) a t Ihi) lime )in(.:c Su ll i\"an obsened "lkyond (the m:lin structure) are :I number of sca ttered hlocb which may rcprc)ent the rem:lil» of a porch as )uggl'~led by Mrs. Qoaritch-Wales. o r of a separate building: hili as P't'l"iOIl.f I'X((/\"tI/;U!/ fi'OI·,· a "idl'. d.,l'p Trelld, til('" flll/lt' IIKtil of the III.'.U side olllloaoss (Ii(' SOIIIIIn ·l.'st f'V 'III" all f'(}/lI/l'f'lioli befll·1.'1.'1I fIJ" SI' '('III(liIlS (111(/ IILl' IIwili STrUC/II,C' hOJ

bel'li s{'I·(',('d amJ 110 callf'lusiall call b(' f1'achC'tl as I/J f lu' i, f(Jmu', f1'IClliollsliip. II ll\ICler 1\ )hould be obsen·ed that if thiS ..... as iI porch II .... as in a most unusual position, for nearly allthc Ind i:," temples,

which emerged. namely that the I'imana had always ~n structurally stpamte rrom the mamlapam platrorm (the main structure exca\'nted by Mrs. QU3ritch· Wales 3nd Sulliv3n) to which it had betn linked on ly by two walls or laterite blocks two reet thick.

The problems or the t-.·Iatang Pasir site now proved to be illusory ror it could be shown to be very similar in plan to other chandi temples in the Kedah region. Furthermore. Lamb was able to show the mamlapam was in rae. racing to the east and the problem or the apparently irregular orientation or the structure. remarked on by Sulli\'an. v.as thus neatly disposed.

The reconstruction or the true plan or the Matang Pasir ~ile called attention 10 yet another point or vcr)' gre:LI signifi· cance. The overall layout or the huilding is seen 10 be closely comparable to thc CiJamJi Biara Si Topajall. Padang u\'as. Sumatra. in which the structural sepa-ratinn or thc rill/alia and mandapam. an unusual reature. is also round. (Lamb. 1961: pg. 16).

Recent field surveys. especially during 1968. have shown that this type or ehandi. built in two separate structural units. is in ract common in Kedah. It is now

dear that Quaritch.Wales· site 133, over which. as we h(we seen aoo\'e, he con-resscd some misgivings. is a rurther example. Moreo\'er. it is prooo.ble that sile 14, included by Quaritch-Wales in the later group or porchcd shrines. should now be recognised as the mOJ/dapam of a ehom/i or this type, as its eastern orienta-tion and western step indicate. Fig. 3. cr. site 13a.

Thc prevalcnce or this style or chantli suggested to the writer that at least some or the other so-C'.lIled Mahayanist Budd· hist parched shrines or Quaritch-Walcs' fourth wavc and later may also ha\'c been \'ictims or misinterpretation and incom-plcte excavation. Allention was first rocus~d on site 15. Quaritch.Wales· plan or this building suggested Ihc remains or the I"imlllw or sanct uary companent of such a structure. Fig. 4. Unfortunately. whcn this site was examined in 1968 il pro\'cd to be too ruinous ror further work to be profitable.

Happily. Quaritch-Wales' site 16 was re·located on the lert bank. or the Sungai Bujang and complete excavation was undertaken in November and December. 1969. under the field direction or Mr. M.Kua. This work soon established that the square double structure of laterite hlocks, excavated by Quaritch·Wales, was

~ffl:tJ:J::J::J::J:D:'::r::l_ ... __ .... ___ ._. ____ .. __ ._._._._._

Fig. j. Plan of K~duh Sit~ U. - 23-

SCAI.E



associated with a laterite IIIwu/apulII plat-form 10 feet 6 inches by 13 feel 6 inches, regularly oriented towards the east. Plate I. It is therefore also an example of the category of cham/i temples with separate 1I1al1llapam.

Preliminary surveys indicate that other structu res in the middle l1ujang group may also turn out to belong to this category. Further excav.llions, which it is hoped will be carried ou t shortly, should estahlish this point beyond furthe r ques-tion.

Dr. Lamb·s complete reconstruction of Clromfj Bllkit Balli Pallal laid bare for the first t ime the inner s tructural secrets of the bui lding. This brought forth the surprising fact that the lI/andapall1 plat-form had been built according to a curiou~ double· walled plan closely analageous to that revealed by Quafltch-\\'a1cs' site II. (Fig. I). It is now clear that un the grounds of st ructural typology site II must be re lated to the chandi temple::. represented by sites 4 - 8.

In the li ght of the mo~t recent dis-cm'eries, it seems thllt Dr. Lamb's con ten·

, (!1 @ !!!J

r!J

e I!l ~ rB

,

tion thllt "most of these (Kedah) sites arc sufficicntly similar 10 one another to justify thei r being considered as close to each other in date" (Lamb. 1960. pg. 1(») has now acquired much stronger factua l support. We arc confronted by a struc· tural typology comi~ting of two main categories. Type A. a cham/; temple in which the I'iIl1U1Il1 is linked to the lI/a/1-dapam in a ::.inglc unit and comprisi ng Kedah sites 4 - II and I I and Type 11. a chandi temple bui ll in IwO separate paris and comprising most of the remaining Bujang sites and the site at ""I;;l[ang Pasir. It is not yel clear whether these two Iypes represent changing patterns intluenced by chronology or "hether other factors, per-hap~ ~ociological, play a parI. This remains one of the mo~t pressing problems 10 which future research should bc directed. However, it IS now certain in the light of the ::.imibrity of the KcJah chal/{/i of Iype B 10 the Sumatran I'hal/(I; that QU

£'(('(II'(I(ioll of Chandi Bu}.il Pl:lltlim, 1970.

"ChamJi Bllkit Balli Pa/wt : Till: Shrim' Oil thl: Hill of ellt Stolle", 011 Kedah Peak, ( GullallK Jerai ) . ReiOnstruclCtJ h)' Dr. H. A, L",tJb, (SI/(/ /111: Staff of 11r(' MJlJI:JI/1J

DI'parlml'/11 iI' 1951) ami 196(},

- 2S -



.(j/ll' II. !\{'duh. Elcul'Cllnl II}' Quari/rh II 'u/{'s.

Silt' /-I. !\,'d(/h. f (:lIarilch Walt's i .



Sire 15. Kedalt. After ,'rculalian h,1' QllarilCh Wafl's.

lI ib liow.tph):

r\'an~. I II .N Rc:sult~ (If an r .r

new light on the ancient settlement of kedah and province ......kedah and province wellesley hj' n....

Documents