JAKARTA: Archaeologists are calling for the preservation of an ancient structure, possibly an underground water network system, in an area where an airport is being developed in East Java.
The brick structure, discovered by a villager a few months ago after he fell into a river in Kediri, near Malang, sits on the site of the new airport that will be built with funds from cigarette producer Gudang Garam, according to The Jakarta Post.
Archaeologist Nugroho Harjo Lukito of the East Java Cultural Heritage Preservation Centre said it was important to preserve the archaeological site.
“We will talk to Gudang Garam because we are going to carry out an initial excavation to determine the size of the ancient structure,” he said and, if need be, adjustments may be made to the 10 trillion rupiah plan airport plan.
Gudang Garam, through its subsidiary Surya Dhoho Investama, is set to acquire around 400 hectares of land to develop the airport, which is expected to be bigger than the Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport in Malang.
The discovery of the ancient structure was first reported by Jasmin, 55, a resident of Grogol village in Grogol district.
He saw the structure after slipping and falling into a river near a padi field.
Jasmin said the structure was made of bricks measuring around two metres high with a small opening at the bottom. It was covered in thick bushes and he informed a community leader of his discovery.
Nugroho said the structure could be part of a hot spring bath built during the Hindu kingdom of Kediri between the 11th and 13th century.
He said the opening at the bottom was probably a water outlet of an underground water system.
“The kingdom of Kediri had built underground water systems,” he said, adding that the structure’s proximity to other heritage sites on the slopes of Mount Klotok indicated it may likely be of the same origin.
“There are four hermitage caves and a temple on Mount Klotok, which are all from the Kediri kingdom,” he said.
Archaeologist Dwi Cahyono from Malang University agreed with Nugroho that the structure was a Javanese heritage site which needed to be preserved.
“The ancient structure could be a special site within the airport for passengers to see,” he said.
The airport’s groundbreaking is scheduled for the middle of next month.