Bogor

Bogor is a city in West Java with a population of approximately 800,000 people. It was the capital of Indonesia during the British occupation under Stamford Raffles and was used as the capital by the Dutch during the dry season, then known as Buitenzorg.

History

Bogor was part of the Siliwangi Kingdom (1482), ruled by Prabu Siliwangi ("prabu" means "king"). But long before that, in 450 A.D., it was part of Tarumanegara, the very first Hindu kingdom in the Java Island, and the second in Indonesia after the Kutai Kingdom in Kalimantan. The most popular king of Tarumanegara was Purnavarman (spelled in Bahasa Indonesia as "Purnawarman", with w instead of v), who ruled around the 5th century. It was during his reign the kingdom reached its golden era.

Related Topics:
Siliwangi - Kingdom - Tarumanegara - Hindu - Kutai - Kalimantan - Bahasa Indonesia

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Bogor now houses numerous stone "prasasti" (= inscriptions) from both the Tarumanegara and the Siliwangi. These inscriptions, scattered throughout the urban, suburban, and rural areas of Bogor, are written in Sanskrit language using the Pallava writing system.

Related Topics:
Inscriptions - Sanskrit - Language - Pallava

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The most well-known inscriptions are:

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• Prasasti Ciaruteun

: This is a large boulder found in a streambed upon which Purnavarman's footprints were engraved together with his Pallava handwriting. The set of footprints show to many that Purnavarman was a kind of divine being, or an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Indeed, the text on the stone compares his footprints to Vishnu's.

Related Topics:
Footprints - Divine - Incarnation - God - Vishnu

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: The boulder has now been removed to a safer place with metal fences surrounding it, just a few kilometres away from the river where it was discovered.

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• Prasasti Kaki Gajah (Elephant Feet Inscription)

: Hence its name, this brown flat stone bears a set of an elephant's footprints. The elephant is presumed to be the royal elephant Purnavarman rode on. The text compares it to the mythical elephant Airawata which belongs to another Hindu god Indra. This incscription was discovered not far from Prasasti Ciaruteun.

Related Topics:
Elephant - Indra

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• Prasasti Batutulis ("Writing Stone" Inscription)

: This inscription is located in Batutulis area in the urban Bogor. It is actually a collection of four stones. The first small stone, bearing Siliwangi's footprints, are placed in front of the second stone engraved with his knee prints. The third one is a large, flat, vertically-erected brown stone carved with the king's Sanskrit handwriting. These three stones are arranged in such a way and such space that they give the impression of the king actually kneeling down when carving.

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: The last stone is a strange cylindrical rock that is set beside the rest of them. Many people say it was Siliwangi's staff, although it seems impossible since this rock is really thick in diameter.

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