Indonesia: A Ganesha Statue Is Unearthed In Dieng Plateau In Central Java 

A large statue of Ganesha was excavated in Dieng Wetan Village of Wonosobo District, Central Java in Indonesia. The Central Java Institute for Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BPCB) has done the excavation on 12 January.

The statue is made of andesite and is 140 cm in height and 120 cm in width. However, the head and the hand part remaining missing.

"This is the largest Ganesha statue found in Dieng, but we have yet to find its head and arms. We first unearth and save it, and then bring it along with the other stones found around the site of the Dieng Museum," Head of the institute's Dieng Temple Unit, Eri Budiarto said.

The statue was discovered by a farmer when he was ploughing his paddy field at a depth of 50 cm in December 2019.

Dieng plateau is the location of Hindu temples from the Kalingga Kingdom, one of the earliest Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms in Java. They are estimated to be built between 7th century to end of 8th century AD.

Later, Islam entered the island nation, and today, 90 per cent Javanese identify as Muslims. However, the Hindu-Buddhist influences can still be seen in the practice of Islam here.

The recovered statue is expected to reveal more data on the Dieng site.