CalcuttaStone

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CalcuttaStoneorknowninIndonesiaasPucanganInscriptionisanancientJavaneseinscription
writteninSanskritandOldJavanese,[1]datedfrom1041CEduringthereignofkingAirlanggaof
Kahuripankingdom,thatexplainssomeeventsandroyalgenealogyoftheking.Theinscriptionmore
orlessnarratesthelifestoryofKingAirlangga,oneofthegreatestkinginJavanesehistory,also
explaininghislineageastherightfulrulerofJava,thesuccessorofKingDharmawangsaofIsyana
dynasty.Thisinscriptionwasknownas"CalcuttaStone",becauseitisstoredinIndianMuseum,
Kolkata(Calcutta),Indiafrom19thcenturyuntiltoday.
ThePucanganinscriptionisabilingualinscription,itconsistsoftwodifferentsidesinscribedona
singlemonolith,thefrontsideiswritteninOldJavanesewhiletheothersideiswritteninSanskrit,
bothofinscriptionsarewritteninKawiscript(AncientJavanesescript).Theinscriptionscapeisa
blockwithpointytop,onthebaseoftheinscriptionisadornedwithpadma(lotus)pedestal.Thename
Pucanganderivedfromawordinscribedinthisinscription,itwasthenameofplaceontheslopesof
MountPenanggungan,todaylocatedinMojokertoRegency,EastJava.[2]

Content
Theinscriptiondescribesaterriblepralaya(calamity)whichbefelltheEastJavaneseMedang
KingdomofIsyanaDynastyintheearlyyearsofthe11thcentury.In1006,arebellionincitedbya
vassalkingWurawarifromLwaramresultedinthedestructionofthecapitalofWatugaluh.The
reigningking,Dharmawangsa,successortoSriMakutawangsawardhana,wasmurderedalongwithhis
entirefamilyandmanyofhissubjects.OnlytheyoungAirlangga,whowasagedabout16atthetime,
managedtoescapeunharmed.[3]

Discovery
ThePucanganinscriptionwasdiscoveredontheslopeofMountPenanggunganinEastJavaandsentto
SirThomasStamfordRaffles,theBritishGovernorGeneralofJava18131816inBatavia.In1812
RafflessentittogetherwithSanggurahinscriptiontoLordMinto,GovernorGeneralofIndiain
Calcutta,asatokenofappreciation.[4]ThisinscriptionremainstoredinCalcuttaMuseumwhilethe
SanggurahinscriptionwastakenbyLordMintobacktohisestateinHawick,Roxburghshire,Scotland.

Inscription
Quotationofsomeversesintheinscription.

Transcription
1.
2.

//svasti//tribhirapigunaairupetonavvidhnesthitautathpralayeaguaitiya
prasiddhastasmaidhthrenamassatatam
agaivikramagurupraamyamnassurdhipenasadpiyastrivikramaitiprathitoloke
namastasmai

Translation

1.
2.

Congratulationandwellbeing!respectandgreathonorforhim,alwaysblessedwiththree
guna[5]whenthedestinyofhuman(mortals)arealreadypredestinated,sowhenthedestruction
(strikeorhappen)itismeanttobe,sobeitfortheCreatorhadnottheguna.
Honorforhim,thatis(performing)triwikrama,knownintheworldas(three)greatsteps
withoutanypredisposition,alsoalwayshonoringthemind(decision)oftheKingofGods

Notes
1.

1. Poesponegoro,M.D.;Notosusanto,N.,(1992).SejarahnasionalIndonesia:Jamankuna.
2.
3.
4.
5.

PTBalaiPustaka.ISBN979407408X.
Kern,H.,(1917),SteenvandenbergPananggungan(Soerabaja),thansintIndia
MuseumteCalcutta,VerspreideGescriftenVII,85114,Gravenhage:MartinusNijhoff.
EastJava.com
Raffles,SirThomasStamford,(1817),TheHistoryofJava,Vol.II,London:Black,
Parbury,andAllen.
Sanskrit: means'string'or'asinglethread',inthiscontextitmeansquality,principleor
tendency