TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An object suspected to be a part of the structure of a Buddhist temple has been found again in Nepen Village, Teras Subdistrict, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Previously, a series of ancient objects had been found by local residents, reinforcing the suspicion of the existence of a Buddhist religious site in the area.
Information received by Tempo reveals that the latest discovery, in the form of a large-sized stone, was found on Thursday, May 14, 2026. At that time, heavy equipment was being used to open up a road for the construction of a cattle pen.
Member of the Boyolali Cultural Heritage Registration Expert Team, Farid Burhanuddin, said that the discovery began when the heavy equipment used by locals struck a hard object in the ground during land leveling. From its shape and structural characteristics, the object is estimated to have originated from a past Buddhist religious building.
"It is suspected to be related to several other findings previously discovered in Nepen Village," said Farid when contacted on Monday, May 25, 2026.
Farid explained that the object is approximately 1.25 meters tall with a diameter of around 1.30 meters. Its shape resembles a closed tube or bowl, with a structure at the bottom that is suspected to be related to Buddhist inscriptions. He speculated that the object is a part of a small stupa, a slab of an effigy, or a component supporting the temple building.
Farid mentioned that within a radius of about 500 meters from the latest discovery location, another object suspected to be part of a Buddhist stupa had been found. In addition, residents of Nepen Village are said to often discover various objects suspected to be related to the cultural heritage site, ranging from stone slabs, building fragments, to other ancient structural parts.
Although he suspects that these findings are interconnected, Farid added that further research and studies are needed to confirm the relationship between the discovered objects and the functions of each structure. "Whether they form a unified structure or not," he said.
Meanwhile, the finder of the stone object, Sopan, said that the stone was found in a tilted position not far from the location where the stone slab was previously discovered. When the heavy equipment touched the hard object, he chose to stop the work process and manually lift the object to prevent damage.
"I looked for a rope to lift it manually and carefully," said Sopan.
According to him, the lifting process was done using a rope because he was worried that the stone structure would crack or break if moved using heavy equipment. "We lifted it slowly and manually," he said.
Once successfully lifted, the object was slowly cleaned as it was still covered in soil. From a preliminary observation, Sopan suspected that the object is related to the previous discovery because both of their shapes seem to complement each other. "One has a hole pointing downwards and the other one pointing upwards," he said.
Currently, the latest discovery is placed on the stone slab found earlier and covered with leaves to prevent weather damage. With the latest discovery, there are now at least three stone objects with ancient building structures at the location. Two of them are stone slabs of different sizes.
The Head of the Culture Division of the Boyolali Department of Education and Culture, Sunardi, said that the local government is currently securing and documenting all the discoveries in Nepen Village. He added that the next step is to conduct further in-depth research and studies to confirm the status and historical value of the objects found by the residents.
He explained that Boyolali Regency already has local regulations and regent regulations regarding cultural heritage sites. However, the standard operating procedures for handling cultural heritage discoveries are still being developed. "In the future, the handling will be more guided through the ongoing preparation of SOPs," said Sunardi.
Read: 7 Buddhist Temples in Indonesia Including Majestic Borobudur
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