Sri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including In ...

Mulavarman Nala Deva (spelled Mulawarman in Indonesian), was the king of the Kutai Martadipura Kingdom located in eastern

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

around the year 400 CE. What little is known of him comes from the seven Yupa inscriptions found at a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

in Kutai,

East Kalimantan East Kalimantan (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo/Kalimantan. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census (within the cu ...

. He is known to have been generous to

brahmins Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

through the giving of gifts including thousands of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

and large amounts of gold.

Reign

He was the grandson of Kudungga, and the son of Asvavarman, according to one of his inscriptions. The sanctuary bears the name of the founder of the dynasty, Vaprakesvara. The inscriptions of Mulavarman in

Brahmi script Brahmi ( ; ; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system from ancient India. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as ...

on ''" yūpa"'' sacrificial posts are the earliest known evidence of Indian influence in the Malay World, in the fourth century CE, long before the region was Indianized. The inscriptions of Mulavarman were followed about fifty years later by the inscriptions of another king, Purnavarman, in West

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Inscriptions

The inscriptions of Mulavarman in

were found on ''" yūpa"'' sacrificial posts. File:Prasasti-Yupa02.jpg, One of the yūpa Mulavarman inscriptions from Kutai, at the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

in Jakarta File:153 Mulavarman Inscription, Muara Kaman, Kalimantan, 5th c (23406879131).jpg, Mulavarman inscription on a yūpa, 5th century CE File:154 Mulavarman Inscription, Muara Kaman, Kalimantan, 5th c (22862209853).jpg, Mulavarman inscription on a yūpa, 5th century CE File:The word Yupa in the 154 Mulavarman Inscription, Muara Kaman, Kalimantan, 5th century CE.jpg, The word "''Yūpo''" in Brahmi in a Mulavarman Inscription, Muara Kaman, Kalimantan, 5th century CE

References

{{reflist Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 4th-century monarchs in Asia Hindu monarchs Indonesian Hindu monarchs

Reign

Inscriptions

See also

References