Analisis Komposisi Bahan Bata Purba, Candi Bukit Kechil, Lembah Bujang, Kedah

Abstract

ABSTRAK: Candi Bukit Kechil merupakan salah satu daripada candi di Lembah Bujang yang dibina di atas bukit selain daripada Candi Bukit Pendiat (Tapak 17), Candi Bukit Meriam (Tapak 26), Candi Bukit Penjara (Tapak 25) dan Candi Bukit Gajah Mati (Tapak 7). Secara keseluruhannya candi ini diperbuat daripada batu bata dan berdasarkan kepada orientasi utara-selatan dan binaan seakan struktur padma dipercayai candi ini berunsur agama Buddha dan dibina antara abad ke-9 hingga 10 Masihi. Lokasi candi berdasarkan kepada bacaan GPS ialah N5 37.129 E100 27.324. Analisis ke atas bata candi dijalankan untuk menentukan sama ada bata tersebut menggunakan bahan mentah tempatan ataupun tidak serta untuk mengetahui keadaan fizikal bata tersebut terutama cara pembakarannya. Untuk itu, dua teknik analisis dijalankan iaitu teknik Aruhan Sinar X (XRD) dan Pendarfluor Sinar X (XRF) yang masing-masing menentukan kandungan mineral bata dan juga kandungan unsur utama dan unsur surih bata. Analisis menunjukkan bahawa mineral yang terdapat dalam sampel bata di Candi Bukit Kechil terdiri daripada kuarza, muscovite, albite dan kaolinite. Kehadiran mineral kaolinite menunjukkan ada bata yang dibakar pada suhu kurang 550ºC dan ini menunjukkan pembakaran terbuka digunakan. Analisis kandungan unsur utama dan surih pula menunjukkan bahawa bahan mentah yang digunakan adalah bahan mentah tempatan dan sumber bahan mentah diperoleh dari kawasan lembangan Sungai Bujang dan kawasan sekitar Mukim Merbok dan Mukim Bujang.

Kata kunci: Candi Bukit Kechil, aruhan sinar X (XRD), pendarfluor sinar X (XRF), Lembah Bujang, Sungai Bujang

ABSTRACT: Candi Bukit Kechil or Bukit Kechil Temple is one of the temples in Bujang Valley that was built on a hill apart from Candi Bukit Pendiat (Site 17), Candi Bukit Meriam (Site 26), Candi Bukit Penjara (Site 25) and Candi Bukit Gajah Mati (Site 7). On the whole, this temple was made from bricks and based on the north-south orientation and the construction of the lotus-like structure, it is believed that this temple is of Buddhist religion and was built between 9th century to 10th century AD. Based on GPS reading, the temple’s location is N5 37.129 E100 27.324. Analysis on the bricks of the temple was performed to determine whether the bricks used local raw material or otherwise, as well as to find out the physical condition of the bricks, particularly their burning method. As such, two techniques of analysis were conducted, namely the X-Ray Diffraction and the X-Ray Fluorescence method that respectively determined the mineral content of the bricks as well as the major and trace element content of the bricks. Analysis shows that the minerals contained in the brick samples of Candi Bukit Kechil comprise of quartz, muscovite, albite and kaolinite. The presence of the kaolinite mineral shows that there are bricks that were baked at temperatures less than 550ºC and this shows that open burning was used. The analyses of major and trace element content show that the raw material used are local raw material and the sources of the raw material were from the area of the Bujang River basin and the areas around Mukim Merbok and Mukim Bujang.

Key words: Candi Bukit Kechil, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), Bujang Valley, Bujang River