The Laguna copperplate inscription ( tl, Inskripsyon sa binatbat na tanso ng Laguna,
literal translation
Literal translation, direct translation or word-for-word translation, is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence.
In translation theory, anoth ...
: ''Inscription on flattened copper of Laguna'') is an official
acquittance inscribed onto a copper plate in the
Shaka
Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...
year 822 (Gregorian A.D. 900). It is the earliest known calendar-dated document found within the Philippine Islands.
The plate was found in 1989 by a labourer near the mouth of the Lumbang River in Wawa,
Lumban
Lumban, officially the Municipality of Lumban ( tgl, Bayan ng Lumban), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It can reach this town Passing Through Rizal Province via Manila East Road or SLEX. According to the 2020 ...
,
Laguna in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. The inscription was mainly written in
Old Malay
Malay was first used in the first millennia known as Old Malay, a part of the Austronesian language family. Over a period of two millennia, Malay has undergone various stages of development that derived from different layers of foreign influen ...
using the Early
Kawi script with a number of technical
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
words and
Old Javanese
Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...
or
Old Tagalog
Old Tagalog, also known as Old Filipino ( tl, Lumang Tagalog; Baybayin: pre-virama: , post-virama rus kudlit ; post-virama amudpod ), is the earliest form of the Tagalog language during the Classical period. It is the primary language of pre- ...
honorifics. After it was found, the text was first translated in 1991 by
Antoon Postma
Antoon Postma ( Hanunó'o: Buhid: ᝀᝈ᜔ᝆᝓᝈ᜔ ᝉᝓᝐ᜔ᝆ᜔ᝋ) (28 March 1929 – 22 October 2016) was a Dutch anthropologist who married into and lived among the Hanunuo, a Mangyan sub-tribe in southeastern Mindoro, Philippines. ...
,
a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
anthropologist and
Hanunó'o script
Hanunoo (), also rendered Hanunó'o, is one of the scripts indigenous to the Philippines and is used by the Mangyan peoples of southern Mindoro to write the Hanunó'o language.
It is an abugida descended from the Brahmic scripts, closely r ...
researcher.
The inscription documents the existence and names of several surrounding states as of A.D. 900, such as the Tagalog city-state of
Tondo.
Some historians suggest that this implies economic, cultural, and political connections between these states, and with the contemporaneous
Medang Kingdom
The Mataram Kingdom (, jv, ꦩꦠꦫꦩ꧀, ) was a Javanese Hindu–Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established by King Sanjaya, the kingdom was rul ...
in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
.
Historic context
Prior to the European colonial era,
South East Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
were under the
Indosphere
Indosphere is a term coined by the linguist James Matisoff for areas of Indian linguistic and cultural influence in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly used in areal linguistics in contrast with Sinosphere.
Influence
The Tibeto-Burma ...
of
greater India, where numerous
Indianized principalities and empires flourished for several centuries in what are now Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. The influence of Indian culture into these areas was given the term ''indianization''.
French archaeologist
George Coedes
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
defined it as the expansion of an organized culture that was framed upon Indian originations of royalty,
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
and the
Sanskrit dialect.
This can be seen in the
Indianization of Southeast Asia
Dating back to the first century, Indian culture started making its way into the region of Southeast Asia. The expansion of Indian culture into these areas was given the term ''Indianization''. The term was coined by French archaeologist, George ...
, the
spread of Hinduism and the
transmission of Buddhism.
Indian diaspora
Overseas Indians (IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of Indi ...
, both ancient (PIO) and current (NRI), played an ongoing key role as professionals, traders, priests and warriors.
Indian honorifics
Indian honorifics are honorific titles or appendices to names used in the Indian subcontinent, covering formal and informal social, commercial, and religious relationships. These may take the form of prefixes, suffixes or replacements.
Native hon ...
also influenced the
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
,
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
,
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
and
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
honorifics.
[Krishna Chandra Sagar, 2002, An Era of Peace, Page 52.]
The pre-colonial
native Filipino script called
Baybayin (), known in
Visayan
Visayans ( Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group ...
as ''badlit'' (), as ''kur-itan/kurditan'' in
Ilocano and as ''kulitan'' in
Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to:
*Kapampangan people of the Philippines
*Kapampangan language
Kapampangan or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary ...
, was itself derived from the
Brahmic scripts
The Brahmic scripts, also known as Indic scripts, are a family of abugida writing systems. They are used throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. They are descended from the Brahmi script of ancient Ind ...
of India. Its use was recorded in the 16th century by
Miguel López de Legazpi.
[.]
Discovery
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription was found in 1987 near the mouth of the Lumbang River near
Laguna de Bay,
by a man named Ernesto Legisma who was dredging sand to turn into concrete. Suspecting that the artifact might have some value, the man sold it to an antique dealer who, having found no buyers, eventually sold it to the
National Museum of the Philippines
The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and vis ...
, where it was assigned to
Alfredo E. Evangelista Alfredo E. Evangelista (September 22, 1926 – October 18, 2008) was a Filipino archeologist and former director of the Anthropology division of the National Museum of the Philippines.
Biography
Alfredo Esguerra Evangelista was born in Davao City o ...
, head of its
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
department.
The National Museum refers to the artifact as the ''Laguna Copper Plate''.
A year later, Antoon Postma noted that the inscription was similar to the ancient Indonesian script of
Kawi. Postma translated the script and found the document dated itself to the
Saka year
The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78.
The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia.
Hist ...
822, an old Hindu calendar date which corresponds to the year 900.
It is from about the same time as the mention of the Philippines in the official Chinese
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
''
History of Song'' for the year 972.
Description
The inscription is made out of
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and measures about with the words directly embossed onto the plate. It differs in manufacture from Javanese scrolls of the period, which had the words inscribed onto a heated, softened metal scroll.
It records the date as the year 822 of the
Saka era
The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78.
The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia.
Hist ...
, the month of Waisaka, and the fourth day of the waning moon, which corresponds to Monday, 21 April 900 on the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
. The text is Old Malay with numerous loanwords from Sanskrit and a few non-Malay vocabulary elements whose origin may be Old Javanese.
The Sanskrit words are used for technical terms, while the Javanese words are used for
forms of address
A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...
. The Old Malay it uses differs from examples found in Java and Sumatra.
The document states that it releases its bearers, the children of ''Namwaran'', from a debt in
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
amounting to 1 ''kati'' and 8 ''suwarnas'' (865 grams; 27.8 troy ounces).
[Morrow, Paul (July 14, 2006)]
"Laguna Copperplate Inscription"
Sarisari etc.
Text
Analysis
Postma, who first translated the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, suggested that the place names and personal names in the inscription needed to be carefully studied by scholars because "they furnish vital clues regarding the political and topographic background" of the world around the time of the inscription.
He identified as
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
s the words ''Pailah'', ''Tundun'', ''Puliran'' and ''Binuangan, and posited that ''Dewata'' and ''Medang'' could be either personal names or toponyms.
Postma identified three of these toponyms, ''Binuangan'', ''Pailah'' and ''Puliran'', as Malayo-Polynesian in origin,
and three other toponyms, ''Tundun'', ''Dewata'' and ''Mdang'', as being of Sanskrit origin.
After carefully considering possible interpretations of the text, including the possibility that Pailah and Puliran were located in the Laguna Lake region, Postma concluded that he was confident that
Binuangan
Binuangan, officially the Municipality of Binuangan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Binuangan; tl, Bayan ng Binuangan), is a 6th class municipality in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,441 pe ...
,
Pailah, and
Puliran "find their equivalents within the limited area of what is now known as
Bulacan Province in the Philippines,
nd thatthe text of this same inscription can be considered to refer indeed to these places, already existing already under identical names in the tenth century".
Toponyms as Bulacan settlements
Postma emphasized
that his interpretation of the inscription placenames being in Bulacan puts these named settlements on key locations on Central Luzon's river systems, which he referred to as "waterhighways", which allowed "an effective (and often only) means of transportation and communication between the different settlements",
as well as providing Chinese and Southeast Asian maritime traders easy access to interior trading centers via rivers.
He also noted that Central Luzon's rivers were "much deeper and certainly were more navigable than they are today".
Postma's assertions have been challenged, notably by the Pila Historical Society Foundation and local historian Jaime F. Tiongson, but which have not been fully resolved by
scholarly peer review
Scholarly peer review or academic peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of having a draft version of a researcher's methods and findings reviewed (usually anonymously) by experts (or "peers") in the same field. Peer review is ...
.
Words affirmed as toponyms
Postma asserted that he was fairly certain that four words in the inscription were place names, or toponyms: "Pailah" (lines 4 and 6), "Tundun" (line 3), "Puliran" (line 6) and "Binuangan" (line 7).
Tundun
Tundun, whose name Postma believed to be "
Sanskrit in origin",
was referenced in line 3 of the inscription.
It is the most easily recognizable of the toponyms identified by Postma in the inscription, and scholarly consensus
[Patanñe,E.P. Philippines in the Sixth to Sixteenth Centuries. 1996.][Abinales, Patricio N. and Donna J. Amoroso, State and Society in the Philippines. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2005.] generally agrees with Postma's original identification of the inscription's Tundun as
Tondo, the polity located on the northern seaside of the
Pasig River
The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...
delta, where the Pasig River empties into
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...
.
Postma left an avenue for an alternative interpretation open however, saying that Mdang and Tondo
"because of their lingual consonants (n and d) that are of Sanskrit origin might originally be toponyms existing on the Island of Java".
Pailah
Postma identified Pailah, whose name he believed to be
Austronesian in origin,
as a "locality with its own leader".
It was referenced twice, in lines 4 and 6 of the inscription. Locating its possible location in
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...
, Postma proposed its site to be "the village of Paila, in Barangay of San Lorenzo at the eastern part of the municipality of
Norzagaray, with coordinates 14–54.5 & 121-06.9".
However, it might also referred to the Pailaha region part of
North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the Minahasa Peninsula of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. It borders the Philippine province of Davao Occidental and Socc ...
province located in the northern
Sulawesi.
Puliran
Postma identified Puliran, whose name he believed to be
Austronesian in origin,
as a "locality with its own leader"
referenced in line 6 of the inscription. Postma asserted that Puliran was probably located in modern-day
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...
, on the current site of "
Pulilan
Pulilan, officially the Municipality of Pulilan ( tgl, Bayan ng Pulilan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 108,836 people.
The town is famous for its Cara ...
, along the
Angat River
The Angat River (also called Quingua River) is a river in the Philippines located in the province of Bulacan. It flows from the Sierra Madre mountain range to Manila Bay. Three dams are located along the river namely Angat, Ipo and Bustos. The ...
(pronounced: Anggat) north of Manila, (coordinates: 14–54.2 & 120-50.8)".
Binuangan
Postma believed that the place-name of Binuangan, referenced in line 7 of the inscription as a locality with its own leader,
was
Austronesian in origin.
Locating its possible location in
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...
, Postma proposed its site to be "the village of
Binuangan
Binuangan, officially the Municipality of Binuangan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Binuangan; tl, Bayan ng Binuangan), is a 6th class municipality in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,441 pe ...
, belonging to the municipality of
Obando, situated at the mouth of the
Bulacan River, with coordinates 14–43.2 & 120–543".
Inscription words believed to be possible place-names
Based on linguistic analysis, Postma concluded that the words Dewata and Mdang "could be either personal names or toponyms". He noted that their names seemed to be
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
in origin, but did not go into a deep discussion of where they might have been located, other than to say
Mdang was already known as a place name in Indonesia.
Abinales and Amoroso (2005) note
that the leaders of
Dewata and Mdang (if these words are indeed to be accepted as toponyms) were not present for the transaction but were rather invoked as authorities in certifying the cancellation of the debt in question: "Jayadewa invokes the authority of the chief of Dewata, who in turn represents the
chief of Medang".
Mdang
Postma's paper proposing his translation and interpretation of the inscription mentions that his search of the Indonesian toponym listings developed by Damais and Darmosoetopo, as well as his consultation with the 14th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association (IPPA) in August 1990, determined that Mdang was the only (possible) toponym in the inscription which matched with known Indonesian place-names.
Abinales and Amoroso (2005), citing Patanñe (1996) note that this seems to refer to "a temple complex in Java, where the
kingdom of Mataram
The Mataram Kingdom (, jv, ꦩꦠꦫꦩ꧀, ) was a Javanese Hindu–Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established by King Sanjaya, the kingdom was rule ...
was a rival to
Srivijaya".
Dewata
Scholars after Postma, such as Patanñe (1996) and Abinales and Amoroso (2005)
have come to
identify the Dewata of the inscription as a settlement in or near "present-day
Mount Diwata,
near Butuan".
While it is clear in the text of the inscription that Jayadewa of Tondo is invoking the authority of the Chief of Dewata, the precise relationship between Dewata and Mdang is less clear. E.P. Patanñe notes: "This relationship is unclear but a possible explanation is that the chief of Dewata wanted it to be known that he had a royal connection in Java."
Other proposed interpretations of toponyms
Postma's assertions regarding the exact locations of ''Pailah'' and ''Puliran'' and ''Binuangan'' have been challenged by the Pila Historical Society Foundation and local historian Jaime F. Tiongson, who assert that the place names ''Pailah'' and ''Puliran'' are more likely to refer to places close to where the plate was found – in Lumban – given that archeological findings in nearby
Pila
Pila may refer to:
Architecture
* Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses
Places
*Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
*Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
* ...
show the presence of an extensive settlement during precolonial times.
According to Tiongson's interpretation: ''Pailah'' refers to
Pila
Pila may refer to:
Architecture
* Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses
Places
*Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
*Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
* ...
; ''Puliran'' refers to Puliran, the old name of the territory that occupied the southeastern part of
Laguna de Bay at the time; and ''Binuangan'' refers to modern day Barangay, Binawangan in
Capalonga, Camarines Norte
Capalonga, officially the Municipality of Capalonga ( tl, Bayan ng Capalonga), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 36,223 people.
History
Agtas and Du ...
.
[ ]Gray literature
Grey literature (or gray literature) is materials and research produced by organizations outside of the traditional commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. Common grey literature publication types include reports (annual, rese ...
partly based on
Vocabularies
The inscription contains a great amount of words derived from Sanskrit, starting with a line of astronomical terms that indicates the date of the inscription in detail. It also has some Old Javanese and Old Tagalog words expressing ceremonious forms of address. However, the main language of the inscription is Old Malay, which served as ''lingua franca'' or trade language of the whole archipelago during those times.
The most significant indication of Old Malay features are found in verbal affixes used in the inscription, e.g.: ''bar-'', ''di-'', ''dipar-'', which correspond to ''ber-'', ''di-'', and ''diper-'' respectively in modern Malay and Indonesian. Old Malay words and their modern Malay and Indonesian counterparts are listed below, followed by their English gloss:
* = ''sana'' = there
* = ''tatkala'' = while, during
* = ''dayang'' (also used in Tag.) = court maiden
* = ''lawan'' (Tag. cognate is ) = counterpart
* = ''dengan'' = with
* = ''-nya'' = his / her / its (possessive suffix)
* = ''sanak'' = relative, kindred
* = ''anak'' (also used in Tag.) = child
* = ''beri'' (Tag. cognate is ) = give
* = ''oleh'' = by, from
* , = ''di'' = at, in, of
* = ''jadi'' = become
* = ''tuan'' = leader, master
* = ''sudah'' = already
* = ''lepas'' (Tag. cognate is ) = unbounded, escaped
* = ''hutang'' (Tag. cognate is ) = debt
* = ''hadapan'' (borrowed into Tag. as ) = in front
* = ''tetapi'' = but
* = ''sadanya'' (preserved in Minangkabau) = whole, all
* = ''dari'' = from
* = ''bakti'' = dedication, devotion
* = ''hulun'' (Classical Mal.) = slave, subject
* = ''makanya'' = therefore
* = ''cucu'' = grandchild
* = ''diperhabis'' = cleared
* = ''ini'' = this
* = (Classical Mal.) = perchance
* = ''hari'' = day
* = ''kemudian'' = afterwards, later
* = ''ada'' = exist, there is
* = ''orang'' = person, people
* = (Classical Mal.) = state, say, utter
* = ''belum'' = not yet
Aside from the Sanskrit and Old Malay words, there occur also some pure Old Javanese words that have no cognates in Old Malay, or at least, have not been found in other Old Malay inscriptions, like ''ngaran'' (name) and ''pamegat'' (leader, chief). In an Old Malay inscription, one would expect ''barnama'' instead of ''barngaran'' because ''nama'' is the Sanskrit-derived word for 'name' in Old and Modern Malay. ''Pamegat'' is another Old Javanese word that frequently occurs in Old Javanese inscriptions, but not in Old Malay ones. It is often preceded by honorific ''sang'' as in the inscription. These words are accepted as Old Javanese words, but could be Old Tagalog as well, because they exist in both of these languages.
Significance
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, among other recent finds such as the
Golden Tara
__NOTOC__
The Agusan image (commonly referred to in the Philippines as the Golden Tara in allusion to its supposed, but disputed, identity as an image of a Buddhist Tara) is a , 21-karat gold statuette, found in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa Ri ...
of
Butuan
Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' c ...
and 14th century pottery and gold jewellery in
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
, is highly important in revising
ancient Philippine history, which was until then considered by some Western historians to be culturally isolated from the rest of Asia, as no evident pre-Hispanic written records were found at the time. Philippine historian
William Henry Scott debunked these theories in 1968 with his ''Prehispanic Source materials for the Study of Philippine History'' which was subsequently published in 1984. The locations mentioned are all near rivers, suggesting Old Malay may have come to the area along trade networks.
The inscription is a document demonstrative of pre-Hispanic literacy and culture, and is considered to be a
national treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the funda ...
. It is currently deposited at the
National Museum of Anthropology
The National Museum of Anthropology ( es, Museo Nacional de Antropología, MNA) is a national museum of Mexico. It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. Located in the area between Paseo de la Reforma and Mahatma Gandhi Street withi ...
in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
.
It is the earliest document that shows the use of mathematics in precolonial Philippine societies. A standard system of weights and measures is demonstrated by the use of precise measurement for gold, and familiarity with rudimentary astronomy is shown by fixing the precise day within the month in relation to the phases of the moon.
[Mathematical Ideas in Early Philippine Society](_blank)
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Cultural references
The inscription shows heavy Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and Old Javanese
Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...
linguistic influences. Among the observations made by Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta (; – c. 1531) was an Venetian scholar and explorer. He joined the expedition to the Spice Islands led by explorer Ferdinand Magellan under the flag of the emperor Charles V and after Magellan's death in the Philippine Islands, ...
in the 16th century Boxer Codex
The ''Boxer Codex'' is a late sixteenth century Spanish manuscript that was produced in the Philippines. The document contains seventy-five colored illustrations of the peoples of China, the Philippines, Java, the Moluccas, the Ladrones, and Sia ...
was that Old Malay
Malay was first used in the first millennia known as Old Malay, a part of the Austronesian language family. Over a period of two millennia, Malay has undergone various stages of development that derived from different layers of foreign influen ...
had currency amongst classical period Filipinos as a '' lingua franca''. The Golden Tara
__NOTOC__
The Agusan image (commonly referred to in the Philippines as the Golden Tara in allusion to its supposed, but disputed, identity as an image of a Buddhist Tara) is a , 21-karat gold statuette, found in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa Ri ...
statue, an ancient artifact discovered in Butuan
Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' c ...
, Agusan del Norte
Agusan del Norte, officially the Province of Agusan del Norte ( ceb, Amihanang Agusan; Butuanon: ''Probinsya hong Agusan del Norte''; tl, Hilagang Agusan), is a province in the Caraga region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Cabadb ...
, dates from the same period and strongly suggests the presence of Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
-Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
beliefs prior to the introduction (and subsequent subscription) to Roman Catholicism and Islam amongst Filipinos
Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...
.
Other inscriptions from nearby regions
These inscriptions are all from the province of Central Java, Indonesia (excepting the Kalasan inscription which is in the adjacent Special Region of Yogyakarta
The Special Region of Yogyakarta (; id, Daerah Istimewa (D.I.) Yogyakarta) is a provincial-level autonomous region of Indonesia in southern Java. It has also been known as the Special Territory of Yogyakarta.
It is bordered by the Indian Oce ...
).
*Canggal inscription
The Canggal inscription is a Sanskrit inscription dated to 732, discovered in the Gunung Wukir temple complex in Kadiluwih village, Salam, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The inscription is written in the Pallava alphabet. The inscrip ...
(732)
*Kalasan inscription
The Kalasan inscription is an inscription dated 700 Saka (778 CE), discovered in Kalasan village, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The inscription was written in Sanskrit with Nāgarī script, Pranagari script (Northern India). This is the ...
(778)
*Kelurak inscription
The Kelurak inscription is an inscription dated 704 Saka (782 CE), written in Sanskrit with Pranagari script, discovered near Lumbung temple in Kelurak village, Central Java, Indonesia. Lumbung temple is a bit north of Prambanan temple in Yogyaka ...
(782)
*Karangtengah inscription
Karangtengah inscription (also known as Kayumwungan inscription) is the inscriptions written on five pieces of stones dated 746 Saka or 824 CE, discovered in Karangtengah hamlet, Temanggung Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The inscription was writ ...
(824)
*Tri Tepusan inscription
The Tri Tepusan inscription is an inscription discovered in Kedu Plain, Temanggung Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, dated from 842 CE. This inscription is linked with the Borobudur Buddhist monument.
Contents
The inscription mentioned about the ...
(842)
*Shivagrha inscription
The Shivagrha inscription is an inscription from the Mataram Kingdom of Central Java, dated in ''chandrasengkala'' (chronogram) ''”Wwalung Gunung sang wiku”'', that is, the year 856 CE (or 778 in the native Saka Calendar). The inscription was ...
(856)
*Mantyasih inscription
The Mantyasih inscription (also known as Balitung charter and Kedu inscription) is an important inscription found and kept by Li Djok Ban in Ngadireja Parakan Temanggung, then the inscription was brought by one of the princes of Surakarta to be bro ...
(907)
See also
* Related topics
** Buddhism in the Philippines
Buddhism is a minor religion in the Philippines. The Buddhist population of the Philippines is 46,558 according to the 2010 census.
History
The oldest archeological evidence of Buddhism's presence in the Philippines date back to the 9th centu ...
** Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism
Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism or Esoteric Buddhism in Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the traditions of Esoteric Buddhism found in Maritime Southeast Asia which emerged in the 7th century along the maritime trade routes and port cities of the In ...
** Indosphere
Indosphere is a term coined by the linguist James Matisoff for areas of Indian linguistic and cultural influence in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly used in areal linguistics in contrast with Sinosphere.
Influence
The Tibeto-Burma ...
** Indian cultural influences in early Philippine polities The Indian influences in early Philippine polities, particularly the influence of the Srivijaya and Majapahit thassalocracies on cultural development, is a significant area of research for scholars of Philippine, Indonesian, and Southeast Asian his ...
** Hinduism in Philippines
** List of India-related topics in the Philippines
** Golden Tara
__NOTOC__
The Agusan image (commonly referred to in the Philippines as the Golden Tara in allusion to its supposed, but disputed, identity as an image of a Buddhist Tara) is a , 21-karat gold statuette, found in 1917 on the banks of the Wawa Ri ...
** Tabon Caves Garuda Gold Pendant
** Suyat
* Other similar topics
** Copperplate
** Early Indian epigraphy
The earliest undisputed deciphered epigraphy found in the Indian subcontinent are the Edicts of Ashoka of the 3rd century BCE, in the Brahmi script.
If epigraphy of proto-writing is included, undeciphered markings with symbol systems tha ...
** History of the Philippines
** History of India
** Indian copper plate inscriptions Indian copper plate inscriptions are historical legal records engraved on copper plates in India.
Donative inscriptions engraved on copper plates, often joined by a ring with the seal of the donor, was the legal document registering the act of endo ...
** Indian inscriptions
** Tamil Copper-plate inscriptions
Tamil copper-plate inscriptions are copper-plate records of grants of villages, plots of cultivable lands or other privileges to private individuals or public institutions by the members of the various South Indian royal dynasties. The study of ...
** Outline of ancient India
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient India:
Ancient India is the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the start of Medieval India, which is typically dated (when the term is still used) to t ...
** Vatteluttu
''Vatteluttu,'' popularly romanised as ''Vattezhuthu'' ( ta, வட்டெழுத்து, ' and ml, വട്ടെഴുത്ത്, ', ), was a syllabic alphabet of south India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Sri Lanka used for writing t ...
References
External links
Hector Santos' A Philippine Document from 900 A.D.
Information on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription with vocalisation
{{Authority control
Archaeology of the Philippines
Primary sources for early Philippine history
Hinduism in the Philippines
900
History of the Philippines (900–1565)
Philippine scripts
Malay inscriptions
Collections of the National Museum of the Philippines
History of Laguna (province)
10th-century inscriptions
Copper objects
1989 archaeological discoveries