د ن
ن خ ر م
: مل ا
) ( د ه د
د ر
)( 2 )د مل ا
ANTIQUITIES . 59
In the collection of inscriptions at Surabáya, the following dates appear : On a stone found near Jang'gálamanna .863.
On another found near the same place... .845 . On another from the Kendang hills..niemowo...865 .
Several prior dates, as 116, 363, 647, 773, are mentioned in the body of these inscriptions, which seem to refer to historical events of preceding centuries ; but the dates above-mentioned, with some others, appear in the usual place to shew the actual date of the inscription itself.
The date of a similar inscription found in Kedú is 505, and of another stone found in the central districts 506 ; but it has not yet been ascertained what particular events these inscriptions record . The annexed translations from three of the stones collected at Surabaya, were made by Captain Davey at my request, with the assistance of the Panambáhan of Súmenap . *
Inscriptions in the same character have likewise been found on copper, very beautifully executed and in a high state of preservation. The date on one of these has been ascertained to be 735, and on another 865. I found several collected in the Museum of the Society of Arts and Sciences at
Batavia.t
The Panambáhan of Sumenap was able to read the latter without difficulty ; but finding them to be filled with terms of praise and devotion which he could not comprehend, it was not attempted to render a literal translation . One of the plates (No. 3 ), to which at my request be devoted particular attention, contains an invocation to Sang yang Bráma to favour and pros
perthe country of Gegélang ( Singa Sári ), and to give assistance , by means of Jáya Kátsang, in repelling all evils and attacks, so that the country may become celebrated and flourishing.
The country of Gegélang ( Singa Sári ) flourished in time of Pánji.
Another of these plates ( No. 9. ) contains an invocation of a similar na ture, in favour of the country of Dahá ( Kediri ), which flourished at the
same time .
In some of the eastern districts of the Native Provinces and at Súku , near
the mountain Ldwu, inscriptions on stone occur in relief. Some of them occu py stones several feet high , and are written in well executed letters, above an
inch square . The date of one of these is 1363. A fac simile of another of the same kind reduced , is given in the annexed plate.
I 2 The
* See Appendix I.
+ See a fac - simile of one of them in the annexed plate.
# See plate of an ancient inscription at Suku.
60 ANTIQUITIES .
: The following is a translation of this inscription , as far as it could be rendered into modern Javan by the Panambáhan of Súmenap.
“ This is an advice to mankind, whose ignorance arises out of a covetous
“ desire to obtain more than they possess. If mankind were not by their disposition inclined to be covetous of what others possess, and to scandal
“ ize each other , where would be the use of advice ; when they are receiving advice, they have a confidence in doing what is right, but afterwards they
“ follow their natural inclinations. Therefore, oh ye men of the city, be
“ advised by this, not to follow . such dispositions, but to do what is required
“ of you by the times and the customs of the country, and be not singular. ” : In the present burial place at Grésik are the tombs of several of the early Mahometan missionaries, most of them of stone, bearing inscriptions with dates. That of Sheik Mulána Ibrahim is in marble, and in good preserva tion, having the date 1334 ( 409 years since ) . Here is also the tomb of
Mulána Mach’ribi, who was antecedent to Ibrahim . This has however fallen
to decay, and has no legible inscription.
... The entrance to the cemetery is through several squares enclosed by walls and gateways, some of them very ancient, and in the same style of archi tecture as distinguishes those of Majapáhit. On the side of the gateway leading to the division in which are the most ancient tombs, is a small stone pillar with the date 1340 upon it in relief. Passing on to the division in which the family of the regents is interred, are also to be noticed many relics in stone, brought from some of the Hindu ruins. Among these is a gigan tic toad or frog, and an oblong vessel of three feet long, having in relief the date 1246. On the side of the tomb of the great grandfather of the present regent, is a Yoni, said to have been brought from Majapdhit, and in this
Mahometan sanctuary serving as a kneeling or resting place to the tomb .
Similar relics are to be found in other burial places in the eastern part of
the island , most of the chiefs priding themselves upon having some remnant of Majapáhit. At the residence of the regent of Surabaya are also collec ted several curious remains ; and in particular a large bath , excavated from
a solid stone about six feet long.
In the central and eastern districts of Java, in the vicinity of the dilapi dated temples, are found numerous ancient coins in brass and copper, exhi biting various subjects in relief, and invariably with a hole in the middle for
the convenience of stringing them . Those which are represented in the
annexed
Ancient coins .
852 1068
D
124,5 2.0wa
a
20
Ô JON
862 7237 1258
00000 רס סכ ם
בנ סר ם
846
2246
1258
mu
cel u
946 1489
1246
wust
1068 1245 1568
Auerint Com wikitere supposed dotis.
ANTIQUITIES .
61
annexed plate * are taken indiscriminately from a collection of upwards of a hundred brought to England , the dates annexed to each being determined by the Chándra Sangkala, as explained for each particular coin by the Kiái Adipáti of Demák. Thus the last, which has the date 1568 , is explained as
follows :
wisaya
hobu jalma
Naga Snakes
8
move work men
5
6 1
That is to say ," snakes are moving while men are working :"alluding to the two snakes which appear entwining together between and above the two men who are mastering an animal. The coin with the date 1489 bears a Javan inscription of Pangéran Rátu , the title by which a prince of Bantam, who reigned in that year, is recognized by the Javans.
The mode of determining these dates by the Chándra Sangkála appears however so uncertain and ill understood, that perhaps but little reliance is to be placed on it. I have, nevertheless, given them , in order to shew the notion of the Javans on the subject, and as it is not improbable they may be found useful in illustrating the early history of the country. Many of the coins not European or Indian , found in the Archipelago, as well as in China and Japan , have a hole in the centre. These coins seem to have been of
home manufacture : the execution is rude ; but the figures, such as they are, in general well defined and clearly expressed . In the vicinity of the principal temples have been found small silver coins, about the size of a Madras pagoda, bearing the impression of a small cross and of some rude and unintelligible characters.
But perhaps the most striking and interesting vestige of antiquity which Island of Bali . is to be found in the Eastern Seas, is the actual state of society in the island
of Báli, whither the persecuted Hindus took refuge on the destruction of Majapáhit, and where the Hindu religion is still the established worship of the country. This interesting island has hitherto been but little explored by Europeans, and what we know of it is only sufficient to make us anxious
to know more . I visited the island in 1815, and such particulars concern ing it as the limits of the present work admit of, will be found in Appen
dix K.
In the course of the present work it has been my object to convey to the Conclusion . public, in as compressed a form as my time permitted , and without bias
from previously conceived opinions or new theories, the information which I possessed.
• See plate, Ancient Coins, with their supposed dates.
62 ANTIQUITIES.
I possessed . The antiquities of Java , however, afford such an ample and
interesting subject for speculation , that I shall presume on the reader's desire for some opinion concerning their origin and purpose .With respect to the remains of architectural grandeur and sculptural beauty which have been noticed , I shall simply observe , that it seems to be the general opinion of those most versed in Indian antiquities, that the large temple of Bóro Bódo (a corruption perhaps of the Bára Búdha, or the Great Budh ), and several others, were sacred to the worship of Budh . The style and ornament of this temple are found much to resemble those of the great Budh temple at Gai-ya, on the continent of India ; and it is probable that it may have been constructed by the same people , perhaps even by the same artists . The Devanágari characters on the inscription found at Brambánan are re.
cognized by Mr. Wilkins to be such as were in use on continental India
eight or nine hundred years ago. The date of several inscriptions in the
ancient Javan characters, found in the central part of Java, is in the sixth century, supposed to be of the present Javan era , and the traditions of the Javans concerning the arrival of enlightened strangers, and an intimate con nexion between Java and continental India, for the most part refer this intercourse to the sixth and three following centuries ; that is to say , to the period of the empires of Medang Kamúlan and Jáng'gala.
Mahometanism having become the established religion in the year 1100
( A. D. 1475 ), all the great works of a pagan ' character must, of course,
be referred to an earlier period .
The ruins at Majapáhit and its vicinity are distinguished by being prin cipally, if not entirely, of burnt bricks, a circumstance which justifies us in assigning an anterior date to most of the edifices constructed of a different material. The date found on the ruins at Súku , and some few other places,
may be an exception to this rule ; but the sculpture of these is coarse and rude, compared to the magnificent remains in stone found elsewhere. On this account it is reasonable to conclude, that the arts at that period had considerably declined. The edifices and sculptures at Singa Sári were pro . bably executed in the eighth or ninth century, that being the period of the
greatest splendour of this state ; and as the style and decorations of the
buildings, as well as the execution of the sculpture, appear very nearly to resemble those of Brambánan, Bóro Bódo, &c . it is probable that the whole were constructed about the same period , or, within the same century, or at any rate between the sixth and ninth century of the Christian era .From
ANTIQUITIES . 63
From the extensive variety of temples and sculpture, as well as from
that of the characters found in the ancient inscriptions, it is probable that Java has been colonized from different parts of the continent of Asia.
The Budhist religion is by many deemed of higher antiquity than what is now called the Braminical ; and it seems generally admitted , that the fol lowers of Budh were driven by the Bramins to the extremes of Asia and the islands adjacent. The Jains and Budhists had probably the same worship originally, from which the Bramins or priests may have separated, after the manner in which it has been said the Jesuits of Europe once aimed at universal empire ; and when we consider that the religion of Budh, or some modification of it, is still the prevailing worship of Ceylon, Ava, Siam , China, and Japan, we are not surprized to find indications of its former
establishment on Java.
To trace the coincidences of the arts, sciences, and letters of ancient
Java, and those of Egypt, Greece, and Persia , would require more time and more learning than I can command . Such investigations I must leave to the reader, deeming myself fortunate, if ip recording their vestiges in the
traces of a high state of civilization , to be found in the ruins, languages,
poetry , history, and institutions of Java, I have succeeded in obtainingany share of his interest and respect for a people whom I shall myself
ever consider with peculiar esteem and affection .
FOR காபா
The smaller Temple at Ibung winPoholingo.
( 64 )
In the archives of the princes of Java are deposited histories of their
country, extending from a remote antiquity to the latest date. It is prin
cipally from abstracts of these, made at my request, in three different parts of the country, by the Panambáhan of Súmenap, the late Kidi Adipáti of Demak , and the secretary of the Pangéran Adipáti of Súra -kérta, all dis tinguished among their countrymen for literary attainments, that the two following chapters have been compiled. The abstract presented by theKidi Adipáti of Demák being the most continuous, forms the main stream
of the narrative .
Copies, versions, and detached fragments of history, are found in the possession of every family of distinction. Of these I have occasionally availed myself.
So much of the native accounts as relates to the period anterior to the establishment of the empire of Jang'gala, in the ninth century, is con fused , obscure, contradictory, and interpolated with the fabulous and heroical histories of continental India ; but from that epoch they correspond
essentially, and from the subversion of paganism ( A.D. 1475 ) they are circumstantial, and claim attention, not only as illustrative of the character of the people, but as historical records of the transactions of the times.
Much abridgment has been requisite : the passages between inverted commas are however literal translations from the native writings ; and those so distinguished, subsequent to the arrival of the Dutch , are from the original histories. In the course of the narrative , a Dutch abstract of the native history, by Mr. Middlecoop, has occasionally been consulted.
Besides these historical relations , called Bábat, as Bábat Jang'gála, Babat
Matárem , &c . the native princes and chiefs have been in the habit of keeping a register of the principal events, in the form of a chronological table. These are not very consistent in what regards events anterior to the
Mahometan conversion . From these tables is formed that which is annexed
to the following history. All that is subsequent to the establishment of
Matárem is translated from the records of the court of Sura - kérta.
( 65 )
CHAPTER X.
The History of Java from the earliest Traditions till the Establishment of
Mahometanism .
MONGST the various traditions regarding the manner in which Java and the Eastern Islands were originally peopled , and the source whence its population proceeded , it has been related, that the first inhabitants came in vessels from the Red Sea (Láut Mira ), and that, in their passage, they coasted along the shores of Hindustan ; that peninsula then forming an unbroken continent with the land in the Indian Archipelago, from which it is now so widely separated, and which , according to the tradition , has since been divided into so many distinct islands, by some convulsions of
nature or revolution of the elements .
These people are supposed to have been banished from Egypt, and to have consisted of individuals professing different religious persua sions, who carried along with them to the land of their exile, their different modes of worship and articles of belief. Some are said to have adored the
sun , others the moon ; some the elements of fire or water, and others the
trees of the forest. Like all other uncivilized men , they were addicted to the arts of divination , and particularly to the practice of astrology. In other respects, they are described as savages, living in hordes, without fixed habitations, without the protection of regular government, or the restraint of established law . Respect for age was the only substitute for
civil obedience. The oldest man of the horde was considered its chief,
and regulated its simple movements, or prescribed its political duties.
When the crop was gathered and the accustomed devotions performed , it was he who appointed the mode and time of its departure from one place to another . On these occasions, the horde, after offering their sacrifices and feasting in an open plain , left the remains of their repast to attract the
K bird
* Middlekoop's Collection.
3 VOL . II.
66 HISTORY OF JAVA .
bird called úlunggága ; * and the young men shook the ángklung ,t and set up a shout in imitation of its cry . If the bird did not eat of the meal offered to it, or if it afterwards remained hovering in the air, perched quietly on a tree, or in its flight took a course opposite to that which the horde wished to
pursue, their departure was deferred, and their prayers and sacrifices renewed .I
But when the bird, having eaten of its meal , flew in the direction of their intended journey, the ceremony was concluded by slaying and burning a lamb,
a kid , or the young of some other animal , as an offering of gratitude to the Deity ; and for the favourable omen'a second feast was enjoyed, whi ended with the most violent demonstrations of joy, the whole party dancing and springing to the music of the angklung. Every thing being arranged for the journey, the eldest of the horde, with his wife and children , were either placed upon an elephant, or carried in a litter shaded by mats ; the rest moved on foot, preceded by young men and boys, shaking the angklung and shouting aloud , for the double purpose of doing homage to the chief and of frightening away the wild beasts, which at that time abounded in the island. S
But it is only from the supposed arrival of Adi or Aji Sáka , that the
Javans, even in their traditions, enter with any confidence into details.
This event is generally referred to the first year of the Javan era , which
corresponds
* Supposed to have been a crow or raven .
+ A rude instrument of music still in use , particularly in the Sunda and mountainous dis.
tricts .
† The Dáyas of Borneo still hold particular kinds of birds in high veneration , and draw omens from their fight, and the sounds which they utter. One of the principal of these is a species of white -headed kite, which preys on fish , snakes, and vermin . Before the Dáyas
enter on a journey or engage in any war, head-hunting, or indeed any matter of importance,
they endeavour to procure omens from these kites, and, for this purpose, invite their approach by screaming songs, and scattering rice before them. If these birds take their flight in the direction they wish to go, it is regarded as a favourable omen ; but if they take another direc tion , they consider it as unfavourable, and delay the business until the omens are more suit able to their wishes - Transactions of the Batavian Society, vol. vii .
$ The manner in which the mountaineers of the Sunda districts still spring and shout to the sound of this rude instrument, as already described, corresponds with this account ; and un occasions of public rejoicings or ceremony, the native princes of the eastern part of the island frequently introduce a party of wild men , with dishevelled hair, and covered with leaves, shaking the angklung, and shouting, springing, and distorting their limbs in the rudest man ner : the object being to exhibit the original inhabitants , in contrast with what they have been
rendered by civilization .