A giant frying pan has been unearthed in Indonesia

When you're clearing land for construction, it's the last thing you'd expect to find. And the discovery has people wondering what such a big pan was used for.

So much for that new shopping complex! The discovery of this giant frying pan has halted construction indefinitely. Source: Twitter

A giant frying pan has been unearthed in central Java, by a demolition group clearing land to build new shops and homes in the area.

The giant wok-shaped metal bowl with handle jutting out from the side is 2.7 metres in diameter and made of cast iron. An oil furnace was also discovered nearby which may have been used underneath the large pan.

The pan was found after digging 90 centimetres deep into the soil, on land that had been vacant for several years.

“We were digging to make the foundation, when suddenly, we struck something solid,” Haryanto, one of the construction workers, told the KR Jogia.  “Originally, we thought it was a pipe!”

No one is sure why the pan is so big or how it got there, though some locals suggest the pan is an ancient relic from centuries ago. Police have called for the pan to be examined by archaeologists.

The giant frying pan, which is estimated to weigh nearly a tonne, has postponed construction. Further excavating and subsequent building will resume once the pan is moved.

The pan is rusting in some places.

While it's not the largest frying pan in the world, it's certainly one of the most intriguing, with its age - and what it was once used for - still a mystery for now.