One of the greatest Kingdoms in Indonesian history, the Buddhist Empire of Sriwidjaja was founded and prospered on the banks of the Musi River in South Sumatra over a thousand years ago. Located on the southern-most rim of the South China Sea, close to one of the world's busiest shipping lanes linking the Far East with Europe, the region's historical background is rich and colourful.

The Sriwidjaja kingdom was famous for its bustling and lucrative trade with ancient China during the era of the powerful chinese dynasties and in 672 AD, the Chinese scholar I Tsing recorded that a thousand monks and scholars could be seen studying and translating Sanskrit in what is now the regional capital. Palembang; a few of the relics of this memorable era still remain.

Stretching from the foothills of the mighty Bukit Barisan mountain range in West Sumatra to the islands of Bangka and Belitung in the East, the province of South Sumatra is relatively flat, but very fertile with numerous rivers cutting the landscape and meandering their way to the sea. Coffee and tea are grown in plantations in various parts of the province; but the area's enromous wealth comes from oil & natural gas, coal, tin and quartz.

Palembang is still the gateway to the province, and together with Tanjung Pinang on the island of Bangka and Tanjung Pandan on Belitung, provides the region's three major airports. All three cities have direct connections to Medan, Batam, Padang and Jakarta and in the future will benefit from the introduction of flights to Singapore. Air-Conditioned buses to Palembang are available from points north and west of Palembang on a regular basis, as also from major cities in Java and Bali.

The Province of Jambi located on the east coast of Central Sumatra, faces the Straits of Malaka Sharing borders with four other provinces in Sumatra and has long been a melting pot for different ethnic groups. The earliest inhabitants of Jambi were the "Kuburs". who were among the first wave of Malays to migrate to Sumatra. The ancient kingdom of Melayu flourished in Jambi and maintained its relation with the mighty kingdoms of Sriwidjaja, Majapahit and Singasari; but was eventually attacked and annexed by the Sultan of Palembang in the middle of the 17th century. Encompassing an area of 53,435 sq. km., almost 60% of which is forest, the province of Jambi is home to a large variety of fauna and flora and an exhilarating place for active and adventurous visitors.

THE MUSI RIVER

By Indonesian standards, the Musi river is both very broad and long, compareble to those found on the big island of Kalimantan, formerly known as Borneo. The river flows right through the city, cutting it into two halves called the Ulu bank and the llir bank and linked by two bridges of considerable size and length, the Ampera and Musi II bridges. If visitors are not inclined to make an interesting or unique boat trip down the river, they could still walk half way across the bridge to feast their eyes of the vast panorama surrounding them, rare to any other place in Indonesia. Down below they can see unbelievable heavy traffic of boats, big and small, criss-srossing water lanes without accidents as if steered by the most able navigators. From the same spot both halves of the city are clearly visible as well. And if the time is right, sunrises and sunsets as witnessed from the bridge would be memorable experiences of nature's beauty. Worth noticing are the floating restaurants and shops on both sides of the river, and other intriguing scenes of daily life of the city's inhabitants.

An interesting and attractive annual event is the Bidar Race, held on 17th of August, the independence Day, or around that time. The long and narrow boats are 24.5 metres long and only 0.75 metres wide; each colourful boat carrying as many as 50 oarsmen racing down the river with drums thumping is a sight worth watching. Indonesia is not only BALI, come and see our city PALEMBANG

"LIMAS" THE TRADITIONAL HOUSE.

Another interesting tourist attraction is the Limas houses which are still found scattered all over the province. Most of them are built on riversides, though not facing the waterfront as in many western beach-front properties. One plausible explanation could be the need for privacy for the daily household activities , out of sight of passers-by.

These very ornate wooden houses, built on stilts, are of rather sizeable measurements. They vary from 15 to 20 metres in width and from 30 to 60 metres in length. A good part of the houses have hand-carved columns, doors and window frames. Carved wooden panels with flow-through patterns for cross ventilation between the rooms are placed just below the ceilings. Indeed, it is impossible not to observe the intricate designs, patterns and colours of the carvings and admire the architecture, craftsmanship and functional style of these Limas houses, some of which are open to public.

KI GEDE ING SURO ANCIENT CEMETERY

This cemetery dates back to the 16th century. As many as 38 ancient tombs are there and one of the them belongs to Ki Gede Ing Suro, one of the prominent forefathers of South Sumatra's present society. Notably, all these 38 tombs are found under one roof.

THE STATE MUSEUM

Though in a relatively new building erected in 1977, the State Museum with its collection of around 2000 relics and antiques that are originals from this province would make a visit definitely worthwhile. One could see ancient household articles, utensils, looms, hunting tools, a bridal room that reflects the culture of the province and some preserved animals of the region. Beach lovers, touch and feel the white sand beaches in BANGKA

BANGKA ISLAND'S MATRAS BEACH

Bangka can best be reached by air from Jakarta by scheduled flights in just about an hour. However, boat services from Palembang to either Muntok or Pangkal Pinang are adequate and would not take more than an overnight’s journey. This island that lies right at the mouth of the Musi River in the South China Sea is one of the world's major tin mining centres.

An exceptional beach of 300-400 metres width and 6.5 km. length , called Matras Beach is located 44 km. north of Pangkal Pinang, the island’s capital. Fine, white and clean sand makes this beach most attractive to sunbathers and beach-lovers. The Parai Beach Hotel with 35 rooms is right on the beach.

On the other side of the island, at Mentok, you can find the Ranggam House built in 1921 on the hill overlooking the sea. It is like a big lodging house where at one time the first Indonesian President was held captive along with some of his close followers during the nation's political revolution. The President's car of that time is still kept intact and can be seen by the public during the house's opening hours.

Closer to the capital is the Pasir Padi Beach, just 7 km. from Pangkal Pinang and is an ideal place to relax, swim and sunbathe. There is a good hotel available at this beach. Tourists come from the city and villages around this place to this beach, which is 4 km. long in a genuine tropical setting with endless coconut trees.

BELITUNG ISLAND

Adjacent to Bangka Island is Belitung island, the other tin mining centre, and its capital is Tanjung Pandan. If you are interested in visiting both the islands, the best way to do it, is to leave by air from Jakarta to either of the islands first, and then cross over to the other by boat and travel onward to Palembang to explore rest of South Sumatra. To save time, energy and money, it is recommended not to make special side-trips to Bangka and Belitung out of Palembang, but rather cover the three destinations in one single round trip.

The Belitung Tourism Development Corporation is at present in the midst of developing a huge tourism project at Tanjung Kelayang Beach, half an hour from the capital by car. A complete beach resort hotel with all modern facilities is available since 1992 and Tanjung Kelayang Beach has all the promise to become a great and popular tourist destination in the area because of its proximity to Singapore, Sumatra and Java.

"PUNTI KAYU" NATURAL PINE FOREST RECREATIONAL CENTRE

This recently built recreational complex covering an area of 50 hectares consists of an amusement park, a recreational park and a man-made lake in a natural forest.

In this complex you can also find a children's playground, a cultural park, a souvenirs shop, restaurants and an information booth. This complex, because of its proximity to the capital and easy accessibility, mainly caters to the local inhabitants of the city of Palembang; however, international tourists may spend a calm day here watching the local people having a good time.

"TENANG WATERFALL"

As South Sumatra is rich of a number of small and big rivers, invariably waterfalls of various sizes too come with them . The biggest in the region is the Tenang" waterfall located in the Muara Enim Regency, where the water rushes down from a height of 90 meters into a deep pool and flow further downstream in a strong current. By public transportation the travel takes 2 hours from Palembang; however much less time by private transportation.

KEMARO ISLAND

Situated at ten kilometres from Palembang, Kemaro Island is a popular recreation site in the middle of the Musi river. The island has a Buddhist temple.

Diambil dari Home Page PT. PUSRI
http://www.pusri.co.id
Palembang, Indonesia.
1999