The History of Mount Rinjani Lombok Indonesia : Rinjani is part of Mount Samalas which erupted to cripple the world in 1257. The superletion resulted in the formation of caldera and lake on Mount Rinjani today. One of the literature that captured the events of the eruption of Samalas or Mount Rinjani ancient is in the Chronicle of Lombok written on palm leaves. Several stanzas in the chronicle tell of the horror of the Mount Samalas eruption in the Mount Rinjani complex, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara.
Over the years, this chronicle was almost forgotten and might be considered a mere fairy tale. However, recent research by volcano experts confirms that the eruption of Mount Samalas as described in the chronicle turned out to be fact.
In fact, the impact of the eruption of Mount Samalas was beyond the imagination of the chronicle writer. Samalas eruption has a global impact and is thought to have triggered famine and mass death in Europe a year after the eruption.
“The discovery of thousands of human skeletons in London that were confirmed to have originated in 1258 is likely to be closely related to the global impact of the eruption of Mount Samalas in 1257,” as written in the September 2013 edition of the PNAS journal.
Writing in this journal is the result of the research of 15 world volcano experts. From Indonesia involved were Indyo Pratomo, geologist from the Bandung Geology Agency, Danang Sri Hadmoko from Geography of Gadjah Mada University and Surono, former Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG).
While from abroad involved 12 experts from various renowned campuses in Europe, including Frank Lavigne from Université Panthéon-Sorbonne, Jean-Philippe Degeai from Université Montpellier, Clive Oppenheimer from the University of Cambridge, England, and a number of other experts.
They initially tracked the Samalas eruption from a trail of volcanic spices found in the Arctic ice sheet. As the Tambora eruption created a year without a summer in Europe, causing crop failure and starvation in 1816 or a year after the eruption, the Samalas eruption is thought to have triggered similar problems, perhaps even more devastating.
The History of Mount Rinjani Lombok Indonesia from Bait in the Chronicle of Lombok Canto 274 –279:
Mount Rinjani Landslide, and Mount Samalas collapsed, floods of rock thundered, destroying Pamat Village, houses collapsed and were washed away by mud, floating in the ocean, many people died.
For seven days, a terrible earthquake struck the earth, stranded in Leneng (grandmother), dragged by a rock that drifted away, humans ran all, partly up to the hill.
Hiding in Jeringo, all took the rest of the king’s relatives, they gathered there, some took refuge in Samulia, Borok, Bandar, Pepumba, and Articleun, Serowok, Piling, and Ranggi, Sembalun, Pajang, and Sapit.
In Nangan and Palemoran, large rocks and earthen bays, thorns, and sandstones, pumice and sand, granite sedimentary stones, and cangku stones, fell in the middle of the mainland, they fled to Brang batun.
There are to Pundung, Buak, Bakang, Tana ‘Bea, Lembuak, Bebidas, some have taken refuge, to Kembang earth, Kekrang, Pengadang and Puka hate-hate really, some are up, come to Langko, Pejanggik.
All took refuge with their queens, they took refuge there, in Lombok where they remained silent, even the seven days of the earthquake, then built villages, in their respective places.
The History of Mount Rinjani Lombok Indonesia from the Kingdom of “Pamat” and Lost Atlantis
Various speculations arose regarding the existence of the Subdistrict Village mentioned in the chronicle above. Some even describe the village or kingdom of the sub-district is the lost Atlantic as described by Plato in his writings which said that Atlantis lay “across the pillars of Hercules” which sank into the ocean “in just one day and night”.
But something that is certain and draws us closer to the lost village buried in Samalas volcanic ash is the discovery of historic objects that are thought to have originated from the Samalas eruption at a dig site C in Aik Berik Village, North Batukliang District, Central Lombok Regency on Wednesday (30/5) 3:00 a.m. yesterday.
A gold bracelet, jars, ceramic plates, bells, rice and human bones were found and the location has now been fitted with police lines for further research.
“Yes, yesterday there was a discovery of historical objects at the location of the sand excavation in Ranjok Hamlet, Aik Berik Village. For a while the object was kept in the house of the resident who discovered it, “said North Batukliang Police Chief, Ranoka IPTU, Thursday (5/31).
There is a strong suspicion that the objects found came from human bones that existed since 1812. To prove this, joint researchers from Bali and other agencies including the Culture and Tourism Office of the NTB Province, the NTB Mining Service, and the NTB Geo Park were brought in to conduct research on historical objects found.
It was found at a depth of about 25 meters from the ground and is thought to be a relic of the Kingdom of the District that was mysteriously lost due to the eruption of ancient Mount Rinjani or Mount Samalas.
Hypothesis of Charcoal Rice Artifact Discovery at Excavation Site
One of the objects found at excavation site C in Aik Berik Village, North Batukliang Subdistrict, Central Lombok Regency on Wednesday was rice which had been in the form of black charcoal.
An account named Agus Surya commented on this using his hypothesis.
“Mount Samalas Lombok is estimated to have erupted in the 13th century. As a result of the eruption it made heat, so that anything that lives will turn into charcoal (depending on distance),” he wrote.
What’s interesting is a question why the rice does not turn into soil even though dust, given the existence of these objects are hundreds of years old?
He said, this happened because after Mount Samalas erupted and released extraordinary heat, the impact of the rice turned into charcoal and at the same time covered by volcanic ash. So, there is no oxygen in the rice. Therefore, the rice is maintained as its basic form.
So this is the history of Indonesian Mount Rinjani, which was formed by the eruption of the Samalas Archaeological volcano.
