Batutulis inscription

The Batutulis inscription is an ancient Sunda Kingdom inscription dated 1533, located at Batutulis village, South Bogor, West Java. Batutulis inscription is located in the ancient site of the capital Pakuan Pajajaran, Batutulis means 'inscribed stone', it is this stone, still in situ, which gave name to the village.^[1] The complex of Batutulis measures 17 x 15 metres. Several other inscribed stones from the Sunda Kingdom are also located in this location. The inscription was written in the Old Sundanese language.

The Batutulis inscriptions were created by King Surawisesa to honor and commemorate his late father, the great king Sri Baduga Maharaja (r. 1482 – 1521) or known as Ratu Haji Pakuan Pajajaran Sri Sang Ratu Dewata.^[2] Sri Baduga Maharaja is also known in local tradition as King Siliwangi.

Content

Batutulis inscription has been edited and translated by several scholars, such as Friederich (1853), Karel Frederick Holle (1869), Pleyte (1911), Poerbatjaraka (1921) Noorduyn (1957), and Aditia Gunawan and Arlo Griffiths (2021).^[3] The following reading is quoted from Aditia Gunawan and Griffiths' edition:

Ø Ø vaṁ(ṅ) a‹m›(p)un· I(n)i sakakala, pr(ə)bu ratu pura:na pun·, ḍivas·tu
ḍyi, viṅaran· prəbu guru ḍe(va)ta p(ra)n· ḍivas·tu ḍyə ḍiṅaran· sri
baduga maharaja, ratu ha(j)i ḍi pakvan· pajajaran· sri sa‹ṁ› ratu ḍe-
vata pun· ya nu ñusuk· na pakvan· ḍyə Anak· rahyi‹ṁ› ḍeva nis·-
kala, sa‹ṁ› siḍa mok(·)ta ḍi gunuṁ tiga, qə‹ñ›cu rahyiṁ (n)is·kala vas·tu
ka‹ñ›ca:na, saṁ siḍa mok·ta ka nusa laraṁ, ya syi nu (ñ)yin· sakaka-
la, gugun(uṅ)an·, (ṅa)balay·,, ñyin· samiḍa, ñyin· saṁ hyi‹ṁ› talaga [va-]
R̥ na mahavijaya, ya syi pun·,, ØØ I saka, pañca pan·ḍa-
va ṅ(ə)‹m›ban· bumi Ø Ø

Translation

The English translation quoted here is by Aditia Gunawan and Arlo Griffiths (2021):

Om, pardon [any errors]. This is the memorial of his majesty the former king, inaugurated here with the name Prabu Guru Déwata, (and also) inaugurated here with the name Sri Baduga Maharaja, king of kings in Pakwan Pajajaran, Sri Sang Ratu Déwata. He is the one who demarcated Pakwan here, (being) the child of Rahyang Dewa Niskala, the one who vanished at Gunung Tiga; the grandchild of Rahyang Niskala Wastu Kancana, the one who vanished to Nusa Larang. He, that one, produced the commemoration monument, artificial hill, cladded [it] with stone; he produced the ritual ground (samiḍa); he produced the holy Color Lake. Greatly victorious was he! In the year: “the five Pandawas guard the earth” (i.e. in 1455 Śaka).

Notes

^ Indonesian palaeography: a history of writing in, Volume 4, Issue 1 By J. G. de Casparis
^ "Prasasti Batutulis, Arsip Kota Bogor". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
^ Gunawan, Aditia; Griffiths, Arlo (2021). "Old Sundanese Inscriptions: Renewing the Philological Approach". Archipel. 101 (101): 131–208. doi:10.4000/archipel.2365.

References

Saléh Danasasmita. 2003. Nyukcruk sajarah Pakuan Pajajaran jeung Prabu Siliwangi. Bandung: Kiblat Buku Utama.

[1] Indonesian palaeography: a history of writing in, Volume 4, Issue 1 By J. G. de Casparis

[2] "Prasasti Batutulis, Arsip Kota Bogor". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-08-01.

[3] Gunawan, Aditia; Griffiths, Arlo (2021). "Old Sundanese Inscriptions: Renewing the Philological Approach". Archipel. 101 (101): 131–208. doi:10.4000/archipel.2365.

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