Benda Baru

Hidden beneath Jakarta’s bustling streets, lies a story waiting to be unearthed. Benda Baru, a neighborhood in Pamulang, Tangerang Selatan, whispers tales of a city’s evolution. Imagine Jakarta as a layered cake, each stratum representing a different era. Benda Baru sits atop these layers, a testament to Jakarta’s constant transformation. The digging during the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system revealed a glimpse into these buried chapters. Artifacts, like pieces of a forgotten puzzle, emerged from the depths. These relics, once part of everyday life in Old Batavia, now offer a tangible connection to the past. Think of the old trem system, once a primary mode of transportation. Imagine the clatter of horse-drawn carriages along Batavia’s streets, replaced by the hiss of steam and later the hum of electric trams. These trams, now silent, left their mark in the form of tracks buried beneath the modern city. Benda Baru stands as a witness to this evolution, a reminder of the layers of history beneath our feet. The exhibition “Jakarta from Below Ground” at Bentara Budaya Jakarta showcased some of these unearthed treasures. The exhibit served as a time capsule, transporting visitors back to a Batavia of horse-drawn trams and colonial architecture. Benda Baru, in its quiet suburban existence, holds a key to understanding Jakarta’s dynamic journey through time. It reminds us that even in the newest developments, echoes of the past persist, waiting to be rediscovered.