The Kingdom of Gold.
The Golden Tara, also known as the Golden Image of Agusan, is an extraordinary artifact that challenges many of the myths and stereotypes often associated with pre-colonial Philippines. Discovered in 1917 in Agusan del Sur, Mindanao, this solid gold statuette exists as a window into the affluent society and complex Hindu-Buddhist landscape of the Philippines prior to the arrival of the Spanish.
Filipino scholar Dr. Juan Francisco, described the golden statue as, "One of the most spectacular discoveries in the Philippine archaeological history."
Image: The Golden Tara, also known as The Golden Agusan Image
The statue is made of 21K gold and forged in the image of the Hindu deity Tara. In Hinduism and Buddhism, Tara is a goddess who represents compassion and enlightenment. She is deity also known to offer salvation from the suffering of samsara (death and rebirth cycle).
Image: Tara, Hindu art depiction
The location of the Golden Tara's discovery, Agusan Del Sur, is also historically important. During the medieval era, this ancient region was under the dominion of the Rajahnate of Butuan.
Rajahnate of Butuan.
In Southeast Asian terms, a Rajahnate is an Indianized Malay kingdom. Before it was the "Republic of the Philippines" or even the "Spanish East Indies" (1565), the archipelago was a confederation of kingdoms (rajahnates) and polities (lungsods) composed of Animist peasants governed by Hindu-Buddhist elites. In the south, one of these Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms made its mark on Southeast Asia - the glorious and enigmatic Rajahnate of Butuan.
Image: Map of the historical Rajahnate of Butuan
Historical records about the Rajahnate of Butuan are scarce, but a written account from the Song Dynasty of China proves Butuan's elusive existence. Around 1001 CE, an emissary of Butuan paid tribute to the Chinese Imperial Court in Beijing. Described by the Chinese as a "small Hindu country with a Buddhist monarchy", Butuan was an established and flourishing kingdom well-known for their ship building and gold works.
Historians continue to discuss the origins and history of the Rajahnate of Butuan, but most agree that the kingdom was extremely wealthy and that it attained a strong trade status with neighboring nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, India, and Arab states through the Maritime Silk Road.
The Maritime Silk Road.
The Maritime Silk Road is the seafaring equivalent of the [overland] Silk Road. Much like its counterpart, goods and cultural exchanges traveled through these ancient trade routes. Beginning around 200 BCE and peaking at around 600 CE, the Maritime Silk Road deeply influenced the states between India, Southeast Asia and China. The Chola, Srivijaya, and Song Kingdoms were the dominant powers presiding over security and activities of the routes. Goods such as silk, ceramics, copper, pearls, and textiles traveled through privately owned merchant driven ships. Ports attached to the lucrative network benefitted greatly and brought extravagant wealth to its nation.
Image: Map of the Maritime Silk Road
Butuan's participation in the Maritime Silk Road was made possible through their advanced shipbuilding techniques. Deep water ships known as "balangays" were discovered near present day Butuan and gave clues to their ancient technology such as plank assembly, non-iron nails, and variations of lacquers for improved hydrodynamics. Some scholars argue that these techniques were shared with other kingdoms such as the Song Dynasty in China and applied to their own fleet, thereby improving their seafaring technology.
The Maritime Silk Road brought wealth to Butuan not just financially, but culturally. Indian styled politics, religion, and arts were adopted over Chinese modalities due to their peaceful soft power approach. Buddhism was exclusively for the monarchs, and elements of Hinduism formed laws for the lower castes. Hindu epics, such as "the Ramayana", penetrated the every thread of their social fabric.
City of Gold.
The legacy of Butuan's ancient wealth and Hindu-Buddhist culture survives through unearthed golden artifacts. In addition to the Agusan Image, a large collection of these artifacts have been discovered near Butuan such as the "Upavita" and the "Kinnari Vessel", and are now displayed in the Gold Collection of the Ayala Museum in Makati, Philippines.
In Hinduism, the "Upavita", also known as the "Sacred Thread" is an accessory usually made of precious metal worn by upper castes - such as the Brahmin. The sacred thread was a symbol of power and authority and is suggested to only be worn for special occasions such as celebrations. In the Filipino context, the thread is believed to have been worn by leaders of barangays, such as a "lakan" or "datu". The sacred thread presented in this essay was discovered in Surigao, Philippines. Forged in gold, and weighing at about 4 kilograms, its total weight outnumbers the entire collection in the Ayala Gold Collection. The Boxer codex gives clues as to how the thread was worn and by whom before and at Spanish contact.
Image: Upavita or Sacred Thread
The Kinnari vessel presents another fascinating artifact with Buddhist elements. In Buddhism, a kinnari is a mythical creature composed of a woman's body and wings, tail and feet of a swan. These beautiful creatures are known for their poetry and dance, and symbolize the grace and elegance of a woman. The Kinnari vessel, also discovered in Surigao, symbolizes feminine beauty. The kinnari myth is found throughout Southeast Asia, including countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where they are adopted as eastern versions of "angels".
Image: Kinnari Vessel
Garuda earring ornaments, exquisite pieces of jewelry adorned with the majestic figure of Garuda, are more than mere adornments; they are symbols of protection, power, and spiritual connection. Garuda, the mythical bird-like creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology, is often depicted as the king of birds, the enemy of serpents, and the vehicle of Vishnu, one of the three principal deities of Hinduism.
Since its discovery in 1917, the Golden Tara continues to draw mystical allure from its observers. The intricacy of its head dress design, her body sculpted in the form of an intimate tantric lotus position proves that the ancient Filipinos were once masters of the metal arts driven by Hindu spirituality.
The sacred image also continues to dispel myths and reverse misconceptions about pre-colonial Philippines. Prior to its discovery, many scholars had argued that the Philippines was culturally isolated from the rest of Southeast Asia and that the archipelago was primitive in history due to its savage inhabitants. The Golden Tara proves that this position is, in fact, incorrect.
From 1917 to this day, the Golden Tara continues to be a symbol of revitalization, bestowing the Filipino spirit with drive and rigor to uphold the majesty of their precolonial past. Just recently, a monument was erected celebrated the discovery of the Agusan Image in Butuan city, with many locals paying tribute to celebrate its discovery.
Image: Monument of Golden Tara, Butuan City PIO
Image: Buddhist pilgrim at the site of Golden Tara's discovery, Agusan Del Sur, Philippines
Golden Age of Ancient Filipinos.
The Agusan Golden Image along with deep water Balangay ships provide strong evidence of the exquisite craftsmanship and advanced technology that existed in the Philippines a millennia before Spanish contact. The Rajahnate of Butuan, and the golden artifacts it produced and moved through the Maritime Silk Road, proves that the Philippine archipelago was once a flourishing artisan-merchant based nation dripping with wealth.
The Filipinos are not and never were culturally isolated from Southeast Asia; they share the same Hindu-Buddhist heritage as their Austronesian cousins and, in the past, this cultural uniformity helped the confederation of Indianized-Malay kingdoms flourish in unison.
The Golden Tara serves as a reminder of that bygone era, it is a living icon, an eternal testament to a once-flourishing Filipino kingdom, steeped in splendor and dominion over the region's thriving trade. Even today, the Agusan Image's perpetual, ethereal shimmer continues to debunk the long-held stereotype of a primitive and isolated pre-colonial Philippine archipelago revealing, instead, a dynamic and interconnected civilization with a rich Hindu-Buddhist heritage.
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