COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Beschreven steen TMnr 10026881

Saruaso II inscription, also previously known as Batusangkar inscription, is one of the

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

s from the King

Adityawarman Adityawarman (formal regnal name Maharajadiraja Srīmat Srī Udayādityawarma Pratāpaparākrama Rājendra Maulimāli Warmadewa. ) was a king of Malayapura Suvarnabhumi, and is the successor of the Mauli dynasty based on central Sumatra. He was ...

era (14th century CE). It is currently located at the

Fort van der Capellen Fort van der Capellen is a small 19th-century Dutch fort in Batusangkar, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The town of Batusangkar grew considerably around the Fort van der Capellen. The fort was named after the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Go ...

area, in the courtyard of the old office of the Monuments Preservation Department (BPCB, the old Balai Adat hall), in

Batusangkar Batusangkar (''batu'': stone, rock, ''sangkar'': cage) is the capital of the Tanah Datar regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is known as "the city of culture". History The town is near the former seat of the Minangkabau royalty established by Ad ...

city,

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The inscription was previously displayed across in front of the Indo Jalito Building, which was the residence of the Regent of Tanah Datar during the Dutch colonial period (researcher L.C. Westenenk once lived there). The inscription is written in

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 ...

script and

Sanskrit language 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 lat ...

. The inscription is carved into a brown quartz sandstone and slightly yellowish color on both sides. The inscription shape is rectangular, measuring 110 cm high, 75 cm wide, and 17 cm thick. There is writing on both sides (side A and side B), which are basically the same content but in slightly different sentence structures. Some of the scripts have worn out but can be estimated by comparing the two sides. A special feature of this inscription is its unique ornaments; on the front side there are a snake ornament and ornament of a giant (''kala'') head with large fangs and wearing a small crown, while on the back side there is also an ornament of a giant head but in a shape like an inverted urn, has large protruding eyes and short fangs. The inscription begins with a salvation prayer as is customary in ancient inscriptions. The next line is a chronogram (''candrasangkala''), but it has not yet been deciphered. The following lines contain praises to the crown prince ('' yuwaraja'')

Ananggawarman Ananggawarman was a crown prince (''yuvaraja'') of the Malayapura kingdom, which ruled at the end of the 14th century. The Malayapura kingdom was centered on the Minangkabau Highlands and its territory covers much of central Sumatra. The name Anangg ...

, son of Adityawarman, as a person who is devoted to his father, mother, and teacher. Ananggawarman is also mentioned in connection with the phrase '' Hewajra nityasmrti'', which indicates that his religious sect is the same as his father's, namely the

Tantric Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

. This reveals that some rulers in Sumatra followed esoteric Buddhism at least until the 14th century CE.

Text

The writing of this inscription according to de Casparis, as follows:Kozok, Uli (2015)
p. 325. :''(1) Subham astu'' :: ''dvārāgre śilalekha yat kṛta(2)guṇā Śrīyauvarājya=padam'' :''nāmnaś=cāpi A(3)naṅgavamrma taṇaya Ādityavarmmaprabho'' :: ''tiratvāmahimapratāpabalavān vairigaja(5)kesari'' :''sattyam=mātapītagurau karuṇayā Hevajra-nityāsmṛtiḥ''

Translation

Tentative translation of the inscription according to de Casparis, as follows: : ''Anaṅgavarma, son of the lord king Ādityavarman, pays homage to the inscription in stone (placed) before the entryway of the place (palace) of the Eminent Crown Prince who is accomplished in all virtues, has crossed to the other shore of greatness in courage and strength, who is a "lion-elephant", and through his truth and compassion towards his preceptors, his mother and father, ever practices the vow of the Hevajra(-tantra).''

References

{{reflist Inscriptions in Indonesia 14th-century inscriptions History of West Sumatra Sanskrit inscriptions in Indonesia

Text

Translation

See also

References