Deepavali Open House November 4, 2010

Come celebrate Deepavali at the Asian Civilisations Museum and learn about the birth of
Hinduism in our South Asia galleries.

The Deepavali Open House also presents a last chance for the public to catch the Sumatra:
Isle of Gold! special exhibition.

Known in ancient times as the ‘Island of Gold’, Sumatra was an early point of arrival for trade,
new religions and ideas in Southeast Asia. Gold and natural resources made it a land of wealthy
chiefs and princes and home to the powerful Srivijaya kingdom (7th to the 13th century).
These cross-cultural exchanges have created the unique and diverse Sumatra of today, known
also for its natural attractions like Lake Toba. Discover Sumatra’s forgotten histories and
unexpected richness through over 300 exhibits from the collections of the National Museum of
Indonesia, the Museum Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology), Leiden, the Asian
Civilisations Museum and private collections in Sumatra: Isle of Gold. Look out for famous royal
heirlooms such as the gold crown worn by the Sultan of Siak, treasures recovered from
shipwrecks and ancient 2,500 year-old Bronze Age artefacts.
Sumatra: Isle of Gold is the first international touring show about Sumatran culture and is the
highlight of the National Heritage Board’s (NHB) Fokus Indonesia Festival.

Examples include:
Crown of the Sultan of Siak.
Gold, diamonds, rubies and other gems.
Siak, Riau. Before 1895.
Collection of National Museum of Indonesia. MNI 27543.

Watercolour painting of the mythical buraq.
By Teungku Teungah, Aceh. Before 1907.
Collection of Museum Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology), Leiden. RMV1599-671.