The Canggal inscription is a

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 ...

inscription dated to 732, discovered in the Gunung Wukir temple complex in Kadiluwih village, Salam,

Magelang Regency Magelang ( jv, ꦩꦒꦼꦭꦁ) is a regency in Central Java, Indonesia, famous for its 9th century Buddhist temple of Borobudur. Its capital is Mungkid. It covers an area of 1,085.73 km2 and had a population of 1,181,723 at the 2010 Cens ...

, Central Java,

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 is written in the

Pallava alphabet The Pallava script or Pallava Grantha, is a Brahmic script, named after the Pallava dynasty of South India, attested since the 4th century AD. As epigrapher Arlo Griffiths makes clear, however, the term is misleading as not all of the relevant s ...

. The inscription documents an edict of

Sanjaya Sanjaya or Sanjay (Sanskrit: सञ्जय, meaning "victory") or Sanjaya Gavalgana is an advisor from the ancient Indian Hindu war epic '' Mahābhārata''. In ''Mahabharata''—An ancient story of a war between the Pandavas and the Kaurava ...

, in which he declared himself the universal ruler of

Medang Medang Island (Indonesian: ''Pulau Medang'') is an island off the north coast of Sumbawa, west of Moyo Island, in the Flores Sea. It is actually composed of two islands, ''Medang Besar'' and ''Medang Kecil'' (big and small). There are coral reefs ...

Content

The inscription describes the erection of a ''

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devotional ...

'' (the symbol of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

) on the country of Kunjarakunja, by Sanjaya's order. The ''lingam'' is sited on the noble island of Yava (

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 ...

), which the inscription describes as "rich in grain and gold mines". Yawadwipa ("Java island"), and had long been under the rule of the wise and virtuous

king Sanna Sanna was a king, who ruled Java during the early 8th century CE. According to Canggal inscription (dated 732 CE), the island of Java had long been under the rule of this wise and virtuous king. However, the kingdom fell into disunity after his d ...

, but fell into disunity after his death. Amid a period of confusion

, son of Sannaha (the sister of Sanna) ascended to the throne. Sanjaya mastered holy scriptures,

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

s, and displayed military prowess. After the conquest of neighboring areas his reign was peaceful and prosperous. The inscription makes reference to ''Kunjarakunja-desa'', perhaps meaning "the hermitage land of Kunjara", which has been identified as the hermitage of Rishi Agastya, a

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 ...

Maharishi revered in Southern India. The

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

contains a reference to a visit to Agastya hermitage on Kunjara by

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

, and

Lakshmana Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja () ...

. The name Sanjaya, Sanna and Sannaha curiously was also mentioned in

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 ...

, a book from later period composed around 16th century which suggested refer to same historical person.

Notes

{{reflist, 2

References

* Damais, L.C., 1952, 'Etudes d'épigraphie indonésienne, III, Liste des principales inscriptions datées de 1'Indonésie', Bulletin de l'École Française d'Extrême-Orient (Hanoi) XLVI: 1-103. * Dowson, J., 1957, A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology. London: Kegan Paul. * H. Kern, 1917, Verspreide Geschriften, deel VII. 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff. * J.J. Ras, 1994, ‘Geschiedschrijving en de Legitimateit van het Koningschap op Java' '' BKI'' 150-3 (1994): 518-38.

External links

drawing of Canggal inscription
Medang Kingdom Sanskrit inscriptions in Indonesia 8th-century inscriptions 732 National Museum of Indonesia

Content

See also

Notes

References

External links