Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra85861922roya).pdf/270

 Hindu Image from Sarawak.

Early in 1921 a very interesting discovery was made at Limbang, Sarawak, by workmen removing the top of a hill near the Residency. They unearthed a small stone image, in remarkably good preservation, of Ganesa, the elephant-headed god of Wisdom. Ganesa or Ganapati, as one of the sons of Siva and Parvati, is one of the most revered gods of the Hindus. In the Hindu Javanese religion he is Sang Yang Gana. He is the god of wisdom, the remover of obstacles. He is invoked at the beginning of a book and of important undertakings. He is a short fat figure, with protuberant belly, four hands, and the head of an elephant with only one tusk. In one hand he holds a shell, in another a discus, in the third a club or goad and in the fourth a water-lily. Sometimes he is depicted riding upon a rat or attended by one. His temples are numerous in the Dekhan. There are many legends accounting for his elephant head.

The Sarawak image (see illustration) shows the god sitting on the usual lotus cushion. The actual height of the image is 21 inches and the rough stone block on which it rests 12 inches. Mr. F. F. Boult, Resident of Limbang, sent it to the Sarawak Museum, Kuching.

Prof. Dr. N. J. Krom of Leiden University, to whom I showed photographs, when he was on his way through Singapore, tells me that similar images were found on Gunong Kombeng in South-East Borneo some ten years ago. They included a Ganesa, a Brahma and a Siva. He suggested that the Sarawak image was of more direct Hindu origin and therefore probably older (6th or 7th century) than these discovered in South-East Borneo, which were undoubtedly of Hindu origin. A list of all the Hindu images discovered in Dutch Borneo will be found in the "Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch-Indie" (1919) vol. III, p. 198 under Oudheden.

Sir John Marshall, Director-General of Archaeology in India, kindly gives me the following interesting note, from which it will be seen that he suggests a later date for this Sarawak image.

The image appears to be very similar to the ordinary type of Ganesa in India. The chief distinguishing features of the latter are (a) the elephant's head, (b) three eyes, (c) four arms, the usual symbols in the hands being a bowl of sweets, a rosary, an are and the detached tusk of Ganesa himself, (d) a corpulent belly, (e) and a snake doing duty as the sacred thread. In the Borneo image we have the same large belly, the elephant's trunk and a snake for the yajnopavita.