The Astana Gede inscriptions, also known as Kawali inscriptions, refers to six inscriptions discovered in Kabuyutan

Kawali Kawali was the capital of Sunda Kingdom during Galuh period, between early 14th to late 15th century. It is located in present day Astana Gede archaeological site, Kawali subdistrict, Ciamis Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Location The area is ...

area,

Ciamis Regency Ciamis Regency (Indonesian: ''Kabupaten Ciamis'', Sundanese: ) is a landlocked regency in West Java, Indonesia, and shares a provincial border with Central Java. Its seat is the town of Ciamis, also the primary urban center. Formerly, the regenc ...

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

; the main inscription (Kawali I) bears the longest scripts. All of the inscriptions were written in

Old Sundanese language Old Sundanese (Sundanese script: , Old Sundanese script: , Buda script: , ) is the earliest recorded stage of the Sundanese language which is spoken in the western part of Java. The evidence is recorded in inscriptions from around the 12th t ...

and in

Old Sundanese script Old Sundanese script () is a script that developed in West Java in the 14th–18th centuries which was originally used to write Old Sundanese language. The Old Sundanese script is a development of the Pallava script which has reached the stage ...

. Although the inscription does not contain chandrasangkala (

chronogram A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals (such as Roman numerals), stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words ''chronos'' (χ ...

), the inscription was thought to be originated from the second half of the 14th century, based on the name of the king mentioned in this inscription. The inscription was compared to other historical sources, such as ''

Carita Parahyangan Carita Parahyangan ( en, Tale of Parahyangan, official Sundanese script: ) is a text contained in a single manuscript written around the late 16th century, registered as Kropak 406 from the former collection of the Bataviaasch Genootschap voor Kuns ...

'' and '' Pustaka Rajya Rajya i Bhumi Nusantara'' manuscripts, and it was concluded that the Kawali I inscription was meant as a ''sakakala'' or commemoration monument to honor the greatness of King

Niskala Wastu Kancana King Niskala Wastu Kancana or also known as Prabu Raja Wastu or popularly known as Wastu Kancana (c. 1348 – 1475) was one of the great kings of the Sunda Kingdom reigning throughout most of the 15th century. According to '' Carita Parahyangan' ...

, ruler of Sunda ruled from his capital in Kawali. Niskala Wastu Kancana was the sole surviving heir of King Linggabuana, and also the younger brother of Princess Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi; both died in Bubat Majapahit in 1357.

Content

Original text

Front: # nihan tapa kawa- # li nu sang hyang mulia tapa bha- # gya parĕbu raja wastu # mangadĕg di kuta ka- # wali nu mahayuna kadatuan # sura wisesa nu marigi sa- # kuliling dayĕh. nu najur sakala # desa aja manu panderi pakĕna # gawe ring hayu pakĕn hebel ja # ya dina buana Text on the side, bold: # hayua diponah-ponah # hayua dicawuh-cawuh # inya neker inya angger # inya ninycak inya rempag

Translation

Front: :''This is the trace (in) Kawali (of) his majesty Prabu Raja Wastu (which) erected the defense (ruled in) Kawali city, (who has) renovated Surawisesa palace, constructed the defensive moats surrounding the capital city, (he who) gave prosperity throughout the villages. For those who will visit (this place), they better to perform safety (be cautious) as the foundation for glorious life in the world.'' Text on the side, bold: :''Do not destroy!'' :''Do not abuse!'' :''Those who honor (it), will remain.'' :''Those who step over (it), will fall.''

References

* J. G. de Casparis. ''Indonesian Paleography'', 1975. * Yoseph Iskandar. ''Sejarah Jawa Barat: yuganing rajakawasa''. Geger Sunten, Bandung. * Richadiana Kartakusuma. 2005. ''Situs Kawali: ajaran Sunda dalam tradisi mégalitik?'' dalam ''Sundalana'' 4: 41-64. Pusat Studi Sunda, Bandung.

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References

See also