Into undulating
country, and finally into a plain in the middle of which, quite
singularly, rises this lonely limestone mountain, full of holes and caves,
about 1,000 metres long, 400 broad, and 100 high, with perpendicular
walls. The caves are finely formed and have dome-shaped roofs, but few
stalactite formations appear. Thousands of bats live there and the ground
is covered with a thick layer of guano. From the viewpoint of natural
beauty these caves are far inferior to the well-known cave of Kimanis in
the Birang (on the River Berau, below the Kayan) with its extraordinarily
beautiful stalactite formations. In one of the caves with a low roof were
found eleven Hindu images; only the previous day the regent of Kutei had
turned the soil over and recovered a couple more archaeological remains.
Ten of these relics are in has-relief and about a metre high. The
eleventh, which is lower, represents the sacred ox and is sculptured in
its entirety. One bas-relief from which the head had been broken struck
the observer as being finely executed; he recognized four Buddhas, one
Durga, and one Ganesha.
Another cave visited was noteworthy on account of a strong wind which
continually issues from it and for which he was unable to account. The
current is formed in the opening, and twenty-five metres back of it there
is no movement of the atmosphere. The cave is low, but after ten minutes'
walk it becomes higher and has connection with the outside air. There it
is very high, and the sun's rays falling in produced a magnificent effect,
but no wind was noticeable there. Standing in front of this cave a strange
impression was created by the sight of leaves, branches, and plants in
violent movement, while outside there was absolutely no wind.
I should much have liked to visit Kong Beng, but circumstances prevented
my doing so, though the assistant resident, Mr. G. Oostenbroek,
courteously offered his small steamer to take me up along the coast. Some
months later an American friend, Mr. A.M. Erskine, at my instigation made
the journey, and according to him it would take a month to properly
explore the locality. The man whom the Sultan of Kutei sent with him threw
rice on the statues, and the accompanying Dayaks showed fear of them. By
digging to a depth of about a metre and a half through the layer of guano,
a pavement of hewn stone was found which rested on the floor of the cave.
That the trip proved interesting is evident from the following description
submitted to me:
"The weird experience of those two nights and one day in the huge caves of
Kong Beng can never be forgotten. The caves were so high that my lanterns
failed to reveal the roof. There were hordes of bats, some of them with
wings that spread four feet. The noise of their countless wings, upon our
intrusion, was like the roar of surf. Spiders of sinister aspect that have
never seen the light of day, and formidable in size, were observed, and
centipedes eight or nine inches long. In places we waded through damp bat
guano up to our knees, the strong fumes of ammonia from which were quite
overpowering.
"Far back in one of the caverns were those marvellous Hindu idols,
beautifully carved in bas-relief on panels of stone, each with a
projection at the bottom for mounting on a supporting pedestal. They
represent the Hindu pantheon, and are classic in style and excellent in
execution. They are arranged in a half-circle, and high above is an
opening to the sky which allows a long, slanting shaft of light to strike
upon their faces. The perfect silence, the clear-cut shaft of light - a
beam a hundred feet long - drifting down at an angle through the intense
darkness upon this group of mysterious and half-forgotten idols, stamps a
lasting picture upon one's memory.
"It is the most majestic and strangely beautiful sight I have ever seen.
Coming upon the noble group of gods gazing at the light, after a long dark
walk through the cave, gives one a shock of conflicting emotions quite
indescribable. One hardly dares to breathe for fear of dispelling this
marvellous waking dream. Fear and awe, admiration and a sense of supreme
happiness at having a wild fancy turn to reality, all come over one at
once. A single glance at this scene was ample reward for all the long days
and nights of effort put forth to reach it. I never again expect to make a
pilgrimage of this sort, for only one such experience can be had in a
lifetime."
It is rather surprising that Hindu remains in Borneo should be found at
such an out-of-the-way place, but Doctor Nieuwenhuis found stone carvings
from the same period on a tributary to the Mahakam. Remains of Hindu
red-brick buildings embedded in the mud were reported to me as existing at
Margasari, southwest of Negara. Similar remains are said to be at Tapen
Bini in the Kotawaringin district.
In 1917, at the Dayak kampong Temang, in the district of that name, Mr. C.
Moerman, government geologist, saw a brass statue fifteen centimetres
high, which appeared to him to be of Hindu origin. Before being shown to
visitors it is washed with lemon (djeruk) juice. When on exhibition it is
placed on top of rice which is contained in a brass dish more than
twenty-five centimetres in diameter. After being exhibited it is again
cleaned with lemon-juice and then immersed in water which afterward is used
as an eye remedy. One must give some silver coin for the statue to "eat."
Its name is Demong (a Javanese word for chief) Akar.
