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Indonesia Destination Guides > History
Indonesia : South Sumatera : History
History  People have inhabited South Sumatra since the pre-historic times. The evidences of the ancient times, among others, area megalithic sites in various forms and sizes and these can be seen either in museums or in the open space.
The megalithic cultural heritage includes stone statues of humans, animals, menhir, dolmen (whetstone), punden berundak (punden with steps), coffin stone, grave stone and so on, each of them has small to giant size. The evidences of civilization of 2500 - 1000 BC era will not merely impress such domestic tourists and foreign tourists, but also some experts who came to searching for the shake of sciences.
In Lahat Regency, Ogan Komering Ulu Regency and Muara Enim Regency, the megalithic sites are mostly located in an open space. The existing of the megalithic things also evoked such legend and myth among the people of South Sumatra such as the legend of Si Pahit Lidah (Bitter tongue) who had supernatural power. He cursed everything he disliked to become stone stiff.
During the 7th-13th century AD, South Sumatra was the basic reign of Sriwijaya Kingdom where the present Palembang was the capital. In the glorious times Sriwijaya was famous as the centre of Buddhist education and sciences in Southeast Asia.
At the time, Sriwijaya with its powerful naval succeeded in controlling over the trade line and navigation between South Chinese Sea and Indian Ocean and also changed the region into an international terminal. The condition of having mixed each other had emerged up the culture transformation, which became and formed a new identity of the region.
The expansion of Islam influence had also transformed the inhabitants' culture into another new identity, particularly during the Sultanate of Palembang reign established in the early 15th century. Most people are Islam followers long before the Sultanate of Palembang appeared. |
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