Luring Indian tourists

THE Sarawak Indian Society (SIS) has suggested the development of Bongkissam, a proto-historic site in Santubong, as a tourist spot to draw travellers from South Asia. A delegation from the society led by its Heritage Sub-committee chairman Karambir Singh held a meeting with Sarawak Museum Department director Gilbert Ipoi Datan yesterday. The discussions centred on developing Bongkissam, where a Hindu-Tantric shrine on a raised stone platform was discovered 45 years ago at the foot of the mountain by the roadside in the outskirts of a village. Karambir said that SIS would like to have the site excavated, conserved and developed for tourism.

Boosting culture: Karambir Singh (third from left) and members of his delegation posing with Ipoi (centre) and personnel of the Museum Department after the courtesy call in Kuching.

“We hope the state will develop Bongkissam to attract Indian tourists. They are big spenders, and if we draw them to Sarawak, it will boost our tourism revenue,” he told StarMetro. As it is, there is not much to see as the site is overgrown with creepers. The Bongkissam site is estimated to date back to the 12th century. SIS adviser Jacob Sebastian and Heritage Sub-committee member Professor Indraneil Das, who were in the delegation, said that collaboration between experts from India and Sarawak could pave the way forward to glean more information about the site.

Ipoi said the platform was unearthed in 1966 and gold objects, beads, semi-precious stones and a small sculpture were found in a ritual burial box. This box is a common item in the Hindu-Buddhist tradition that originates in India and is usually found under a shrine. The discovery showed that there were links between Sarawak and India more than 800 years ago.

-thestar online.