ASIATODAY.ID, YOGYAKARTA – The Indonesian government through the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) together with the Thai government have agreed to collaborate in tracing the traditions or culture of the ancestors of the two nations by involving various universities.
As for the cooperation promoted by both parties in developing archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy, the branch of science is studying past traditions related to celestial bodies.
The aim of this collaboration is to explore the ancestral traditions of Thai culture (Lanna culture), as well as its relationship with traditional Indonesian culture (Syailendra). This is done by studying the relationship between celestial bodies (astronomy) and cultural objects and traditions, both in Thailand and Indonesia.
In Indonesia, these activities are carried out through research at large temples in Indonesia, when related to the Solstice and Full Moon phenomena. A series of activities will be carried out between 20 – 22 June at the Prambanan Temple, Borobudur Temple and surrounding areas, a collaboration between BRIN, the University of Indonesia and various partners, in the form of a series of community service programs and international seminars.
The Thai side together with the Indonesian team will carry out measurements, research and discussions in the Prambanan, Borobudur, Mendut and Pawon temple areas. Within the scope of BRIN, collaboration is carried out between the Archaeological, Language and Literature Research Organization related to tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Organization related to education, and the Aeronautics and Space Research Organization related to astronomy and its measurements.
An important moment in this collaboration is utilizing the position of the sun at the summer solstice on June 21 2024 as the best opportunity to measure the length of the east-west shadow from the Borobudur temple. Regarding the summer solstice phenomenon (the position of the sun at the northern solstice), namely the phenomenon when the sun is at the highest point in the sky when observed from the northern hemisphere, on June 20-22.
Head of the Space Research Center, Emanuel Sungging Mumpuni, hopes that with this joint research, new findings can be obtained in the field of astronomy in the past.
“Through this collaboration, it is hoped that new findings will be obtained on past astronomical traditions stored in artifacts (Prambanan, Borobudur, Mendut and Pawon temples), manuscripts and oral traditions,” said Sungging, quoted Friday, June 21 2024.
“This activity also opens up knowledge with a new branch, that the ancestors of people in Southeast Asia had traditional knowledge in reading the sky which can be linked to the fields of study of archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy,” he continued.
Sungging explained that the activity began with a workshop and night sky excursion for children and students around Borobudur temple on June 20 2024. Measurement activities will be carried out throughout June 20 – 22 2024 for temples in the Special Region of Jogjakarta – Central Java, followed by a focus group discussion (FGD) on June 22 2024 in the Borobudur area.
After the FGD, a cultural event was held as a place to exchange words and perform local traditions related to the sky from the two countries, Indonesia and Thailand, such as reading Javanese and Balinese manuscripts with a sky theme. (ATN)
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