The Bada Valley boasts stunning scenery with lush green rice fields and plains, small streams, and is surrounded by gently rolling hills, dense forests, and rocky mountains. The Lariang River flows through the entire valley, crossed by three suspension bridges. This river irrigates smaller streams that run across the terraced rice paddies.
The Bada Valley is located within the Lore Lindu National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and is home to hundreds of megaliths. The purpose of these megaliths and who created them remains a question for archaeologists.
These megaliths are often carved into various shapes, with 30 of them depicting human-like figures. First discovered in 1908, it has been over a century since their initial finding, yet our knowledge about these megaliths remains quite limited.
Image of a large megalith in Indonesia.
Some have speculated that these megaliths were carved around 5,000 years ago. However, others argue that they were created more recently, approximately 1,000 years ago. Some researchers suggest that the megaliths are related to a culture that carved massive stone blocks in Laos, Cambodia, and other regions of Indonesia 2,000 years ago, but the megaliths in the Bada Valley are unique, indicating they may have been created by an entirely different culture. Currently, no one truly knows which culture produced them.
The original purpose of these megaliths remains a complete mystery. According to local people, some megaliths were used for ancestor worship. Locals also share various stories regarding their origins.
One legend tells that these are criminals who were turned to stone, and there are even stories that suggest the statues can disappear or move from one place to another. However, one of the most intriguing aspects of these statues is that they are made from a type of stone not found anywhere near the valley area.
Others believe that the megaliths are related to human sacrifices. Some people also think that the statues were meant to ward off evil spirits, while others claim that the megaliths possess supernatural powers and can disappear or move from one location to another.
Regardless of their original purpose, the stones used to carve these statues are of a type not found nearby, increasing the likelihood that they were transported from elsewhere. This implies that the creators of the statues likely had some form of social organization that enabled them to undertake such a project.
The carvings on the megaliths are often highly minimalist. Human or humanoid figures are typically depicted with extremely large heads, straight bodies, and no legs. As for facial features, they are often shown with round eyes and a single line representing eyebrows, cheeks, and chins. Some megaliths have large genitalia carved onto them. While many of these statues stand alone, some are arranged in pairs or small groups.
To date, despite researchers’ efforts, the origins, meanings, and the identities of those who created these megaliths remain an unsolved mystery.
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