'Lithic Lore Lindu

The landscape of pristine lowland forests with its strong greenery will attract your eyes as you approach the Lore Lindu National Park. Hills nearby with hushed valleys are one of the best scenes in the park. Above all, the park boasts its mystery of the Central Sulawesi Empire with hundreds of charismatic megaliths.

The Lore Lindu National Park is situated in Central Sulawesi, and is one of Sulawesi's most important biological refuges. It contains large areas of relatively untouched terrain and varied habitats, which include lowlands and upper mountain forests, elfin woodlands, fertile valleys, rivers, lakes, and hot springs.

Megaliths at Lore Lindu are estimated to be about the same age as the Hindu/Buddhists Majapahit era. Several megaliths are similar to those found in Bali’s Pejeng with various forms of sarcophagi. It is possible that the megaliths in Lore Lindu have a connection with the megaliths in Java and Bali. The tallest megalith stands over 4 meters, but most are about 2 meters tall.

You can reach the park in about 5 hours by car from Palu, the capital city of Central Sulawesi. If you plan to visit the park, several home-stays with limited facilities are available, or you could also stay at a local's house in one of the villages within the park. Lore and Lindu's people are friendly with amazing cultures and traditional wisdom. Christianity is the majority religion in Lore Lindu, peacefully coexisting side by side with several Muslim villages within the park.

In 1993, the Indonesian government declared Lore Lindu a National Park with a total area of about 218,000 hectares. Lore Lindu is well known as the habitat of the Maleo bird. This bird inhabits only in the North, Central and Southeast Sulawesi Islands. This beautiful bird has striking black and white plumage with a rosy pink breast, erect tail and a bare helmeted head. If you're lucky enough, you may be able to spot this bird in its most natural habitat when hiking within the park.

Another amazing feature of Lore Lindu is not only its rich biodiversity but also its important position in relation to Central Sulawesi's history. The park has hundreds of ancient megalithic relics, mostly in the Bada, Besoa and Napu Valleys. Megaliths found in Lore Lindu, such as statues, dolmens and menhirs date back thousands of years. They are considered to be the finest stone monuments of their type in Indonesia.

The megaliths at Lore Lindu are estimated to be about the same age as the Hindu/Buddhists Majapahit era. They even have a lot of similar megaliths, such as statues, dolmens and menhirs. Several similar megaliths are those in Pejeng in Bali with their forms of sarcophagi. It is possible that the megaliths in Lore Lindu have a connection with the megaliths in Java and Bali. Various archeological studies date them as early as 3000 BC or as recently as 1300 AD. The tallest megalith stands over 4 meters, but most are about 2 meters tall.

Obviously, the hundreds that are in Lore Lindu have made the park a megalith field. That is why in 1978 UNESCO declared it a Man and Biosphere Reserve. In the mean time, the Lore and Lindu people are reserving all megaliths in full-respect for their ancestors. For a while, the local government maintained the megaliths as historical assets as well as tourist attractions.

In general, the megaliths in Lore Lindu are twisted from limestone. At the time of the Donggala Kingdom, one of the biggest empires in Central Sulawesi, most all equipment for daily life was created from limestone and some things even from metal. The King and his family's statues and giant bowls were all from limestone. The biggest human statue measured about 4 meters high, and the rest are about 1.5 meters. Each statue has a gender, and the faces are stylized human faces with eyebrows and nose in one line.

But not all megaliths can be effortlessly visited by car, sometimes you must go on foot for about an hour. Still it is worth it, since you will be able to witness the amazing megaliths with all their charisma, as well see the beautiful landscape of the park with the welcoming of the locals. For you who have no time to visit Lore Lindu National Park, you could visit the Museum in Palu. The museum has artificial replicas of all the megaliths, as well as a complete history of the Donggala Empire. You can get all the information you need about the megaliths from the professional curators.

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One of the interesting stories from this area is about Tadulako. He is a Donggala hero, for he struggled along with the brave Donggala people to claim freedom from the colonial powers. At the time, the Central Sulawesi people gave full-respect to Tadulako and regarded him as their hero. The biggest university in Central Sulawesi and the main street in Palu are named after him.

As an incredible place of stunning forest biodiversity and as a marvelous megalithic field, Lore Lindu National Park needs support for its protection and conservation. It is all for the Lore and Lindu people who live in harmony with nature, as well as one of Indonesia's Kingdom heritage sites. ■

Text and photos by Marthen Welly

Source : www.baliandbeyond.co.id