Wat Satingpra’s Unique Chedi

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Situated in the north of Songkhla Province, the Satingpra Peninsula is a sandy spit of land which encloses the Thale Sap Songkhla, the lagoon system in South-East Asia. Situated at the top of the northern end of the peninsula, Satingpra is a remote Southern backwater of around 6,000 souls, which precious few tourists ever trouble themselves to visit. Yet between the years of approximately 650 to 1350, it was home to an urbanized population of some size and economic importance. There is ample evidence that not only did Chinese ships from the port-city of Quanzhou regularly frequent this part of the country, trading Chinese ceramics for local products such as exotic gharu wood, but that it was also home to a local ceramics industry which made kendis (a sort of pot) for export to the islands of the Indonesian archipelago. In this era Satingpra produced kilns, canals, religious architecture and…

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Candi Kembar Batu: The Temple of the Chinese War Gong

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There are seven main temple complexes at Candi Muara Jambi that are still in reasonable repair; one of these is Candi Kembar Batu (literally “The Twin Rocks/Stones temple”). Overall, it is not a particularly impressive ruin, which is probably why it is much less photographed and written about than the two ‘star’ candis here: Candi Tinggi and Candi Gumpung. In articles or blog posts about Candi Muara Jambi, it is usually passed over or discussed perfunctorily; even the most detailed posts rarely do more than give its measurements and then move on to the next temple. But there are really precious few ancient candi (Hindu/Budhdist temples) left in Sumatra, so each one offers valuable clues as to the past. It is worth raking over this temple for as much information as we can get about it.

Like the other major remains at Candi Muara Jambi, this one is surrounded…

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