Cibuaya

Cibuaya is an archaeological site in Karawang, West Java, where excavations have uncovered multiple terraced structures and settlement patterns spread across rice fields. The findings include stone tools, pottery, and brick buildings that document how people lived and constructed their communities here.

Settlement at this location spanned from around the 1st to the 9th centuries, with excavations revealing continuous occupation across this long period. The remains of early Buddhist temples mixed with residential buildings show how the site changed and grew over time.

The site shows Hindu-Buddhist design features in its brick structures, reflecting the region's historical connections to ancient Indian traditions through trade networks. These architectural choices reveal how people in West Java adopted and adapted foreign building styles for their own religious practices.

The site sits within working rice fields, so a local guide helps navigate the scattered mounds and ongoing excavation areas. Visit during the dry season when fields are not flooded to access the structures more easily.

The location contains approximately 30 low mounds scattered throughout active rice fields, concealing evidence of early Buddhist temples beneath them. These mounds blend so subtly into the landscape that visitors often walk past them without noticing they mark buried structures.