Kedukan Bukit Inscription

The Kedukan Bukit Inscription was discovered by the Dutchman M. Batenburg on 29 November 1920 at Kedukan Bukit, South Sumatra, on the banks of the River Tatang, a tributary of the River Musi. It is a small stone of 45 by 80 cm. This inscription is dated the year 605 Saka (683 AD).

Text

Original

All these inscriptions were written in a form of the Indian Pallava script, used in a Tamil kingdom in ancient India .

The text in Old Malay is::"svasti śrī śakavaŕşātīta 605 (604 ?) ekādaśī śu":"klapakşa vulan vaiśākha dapunta hiya nāyik di":"sāmvau mangalap siddhayātra di saptamī śuklapakşa":"vulan jyeşţha dapunta hiya maŕlapas dari minānga":"tāmvan mamāva yam vala dualakşa dangan ko-":"duaratus cāra di sāmvau dangan jālan sarivu":"tlurātus sapulu dua vañakña dātam di mata jap":"sukhacitta di pañcamī śuklapakşa vula….":"laghu mudita dātam marvuat vanua …..":"śrīvijaya jaya siddhayātra subhikşa ....."

Translation in Malay Language

The translation in Malay Language is::"Selamat dan bahagia! Dalam Shaka 605, pada sebelas":"hari bulan terang dari bulan Waisyakha Baginda naik:"kapal mencari untungnya pada tujuh":"hari bulan terang dari bulan Jyestha Baginda berangkat" :"dari muara Tamvan membawa bala dua laksa dengan":"... dua ratus pawang di kapal dengan yang jalan kaki seribu":"tiga ratus dua belas banyaknya datang di Matajap":"suka cita. Pada lima hari bulan terang dari bulan Asada":"belayar mudik, datang membuat benua ...":"Srivijaya kota yang berjaya, yang bahagia, dan yang makmur!"

English Translation for Malay Language version of the inscription

:All hail and prosperity! In the year 605 of the Saka calendar, on the eleventh
:day on the full moon of Waisaka, His Majesty took
:a boat to find a living. On the seventh day
:on the full moon of Jyesta, His Majesty
:brings 2000 troops and
:312 people in boats from firth of Tamvan, With 1312 foot soldiers
:and came to Matajap
:happily. On the fifth day on the bright moon of Asada,
:they docked and open a country ...
:Great, prosperous and peaceful Srivijaya!

Translation

:"Om swasti astu!" All hail and prosperity. In the year 605 of the [Indian] Saka calendar, on the eleventh day at half-moon of "Waisaka", Sri Baginda took dugouts in order to obtain "siddhayatra". [According to Coedès, "siddhayatra" refers to some "magic potion". An alternative translation, however, is possible: Zoetmulder's "Dictionary of Old Javanese" (1995) renders it as "a prosperous journey". If so, the sentence may be taken to read: "Sri Baginda took dugouts in order to spread Buddhism, the successful way."] On Day 7, on the 15th day at half-moon of "Jyestha", Sri Baginda extricated himself from "minānga tāmvan" [Meaning not clear.] . He took 2,000 troups with him … as many as 200 in dugouts, with 1,312 foot soldiers. They arrived at … Truly merry on the fifteenth day of the half-moon…, agile, happy, and they made a trip to the country … Great Sriwijaya! Prosperity and riches …"

ee also

* Prehistoric Malaysia
* History of Indonesia
* Timeline of Indonesian history

Notes

Further reading

* George Coedès, "Les inscriptions malaises de Çrivijaya", BEFEO 1930
* J.G. de Casparis, "Indonesian Palaeography", Leiden (Brill) 1975.