BATU, this name used to be synonymous with apple production. The apples were, unfortunately, called “poor apples”, because Batu was an area of Malang Regency at the time. But now, with its increasing prominence as an important tourist destination, the name Batu, which is the administrative area of Batu City, may even be more popular than Malang. And, Batu is now not only Selecta, but there are Jatim Park I-II, Safari Night, Batu Eco Green Park, and Muaseum Angkut, and new destinations continue to be built here.
At Museum Angkut, we can enjoy the beauty of nostalgia with various vehicles. From those that are pedaled (bicycles, rickshaws), pulled (delmans, trains, rickshaws), to those with engines. The motorized ones also vary, from two-wheelers, three-wheelers, bemos, sedans, minibuses, trucks, limousines, jeeps, and so on. Those are the ones on the ground. There is also a Boeing 737 airplane that was used by the President of Indonesia, several helicopters, and old-fashioned fighter planes.
In the past, after enjoying the nostalgia of Batavia, the old America with its gangster town, and Hollywood, we went out and entered the snack center to eat or just buy souvenirs. But now, the guide advised us not to go straight home. “Pak has something to enjoy again, the Indonesian Museum Heritage which stores the richness of Indonesian culture since hundreds of years ago,” he said.
Interestingly, to enter this museum is no longer charged. Let’s call this a bonus from enjoying Museum Angkut. It is located at Pasar Apung, which is surrounded by a “river”, and visitors usually ride a boat there. So just cross the bridge and enter the museum.
This attraction was previously called D’Topeng Kingdom Museum. But now it has changed to the Indonesian Heritage Museum, which stores a wealth of objects of high historical value.
Bloody Keris
With Mas Supaat’s friendly guidance, we can walk around the museum, and get a very detailed explanation of the collections stored there. There are weapons such as various types of keris (Balinese, Javanese, Kalimantan, Malay, etc.), spears, mandau, and so on.
Interestingly, there is a Balinese kris which, according to Supaat, still has a spot of dried blood. “According to the information we obtained, the kris was used to kill the enemy and the blood is still sticking to this day,” he said.
Apart from the kris, there was also a sword that still had blood spots left on it. The case is the same, this sword was also used to finish off enemies in the war. When asked if the museum is haunted, and such objects give off a magical aura, Supaat shook his head. “No, nothing like that,” he said. But please see for yourself if you go there.
Another collection is of masks from various regions in Indonesia. Perhaps it was because of the large collection of masks that the museum was named D’Topeng Kingdom Museum.
Besides masks, of course, there are also a lot of statues. For example, the usual statue at the funeral of the Toraja people, there is also a wooden cat statue. The statue of Gnesha, this must have been a Hindu historical era, made in the 13th century AD. There is also a dragon head statue to be installed on a dragon boat during the 13th century Blambangan period.
What is interesting is the Leti statue made of stone, which was found in the Maluku area. “This is the oldest statue here because it was made 2,000 years before AD. It is a silent witness to human civilization,” says Supaat.
Elongated Hair
Supaat also points to a pair of small statues, depicting a man wearing Javanese clothes with his blangkon and a woman in Chinese-style clothes. “This is a statue depicting Raden Patah’s marriage to Princess Campa. There is something unique here, the hair on the Princess Campa statue always grows longer,” Supaat said.
There is also a manuscript inscribed with Arabic letters and decorated with puppets. This manuscript is said to be the handwriting of Sunan Kalijaga, full of wise words and parables, as well as verses from the Quran. This collection was made 400 years ago. “This work is also said to have inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet,” said Supaat.
Thousands of collections of high historical value are of course inseparable from Reno Halsamer, the antique collector who is willing to hunt to various parts of the world. He did not hesitate to hunt all the way to Europe and other parts of the continent, and then bought a collection of historical objects from the archipelago with high value.
The museum continues to improve by completing its collection. It is a witness to the history of a great nation. And, we must never forget history. Because the past is a mirror that never lies.
And, interestingly, visitors can also enjoy live keroncong music performances in one of the museum rooms, If then you have witnessed all the collections, you can also take selfies, buy souvenirs in the museum, or then go out and eat food at the Floating Market.