The Batak script is a writing system used to write the Austronesian Batak languages spoken by several million people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The script may be derived from the Kawi and Pallava script, ultimately derived from the Brahmi script of India, or from the hypothetical Proto-Sumatran script influenced by Pallava.
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi), with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census. The official estimate at mid 2022 was 5,640,629. The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java, although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.
The Kawi or Old Javanese script is a Brahmic script found primarily in Java and used across much of Maritime Southeast Asia between the 8th century and the 16th century. The script is an abugida, meaning that characters are read with an inherent vowel. Diacritics are used, either to suppress the vowel and represent a pure consonant, or to represent other vowels.
The Shailendra dynasty was the name of a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in 8th-century Java, whose reign signified a cultural renaissance in the region. The Shailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered the Kedu Plain of Central Java with Buddhist monuments, one of which is the colossal stupa of Borobudur, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Mataram Kingdom ; also known as Medang Kingdom was a Javanese Hindu–Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established by King Sanjaya, the kingdom was ruled by the Shailendra dynasty and Ishana dynasty.
Pagaruyung, also known as Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and Malayapura or Malayupura, was a kingdom that once stood in the island of Sumatra and the seat of the Minangkabau kings of Western Sumatra. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in Tanjung Emas subdistrict, Tanah Datar regency, located near the town of Batusangkar, Indonesia.
The Sanjaya dynasty was a Javanese dynasty which ruled the Mataram Kingdom in Java during the first millennium CE. The dynasty promoted Hinduism on the island.
Adityawarman was a king of Malayapura Suvarnabhumi, and is the successor of the Mauli dynasty based in central Sumatra. He was the cousin of Jayanegara, king of Majapahit from 1309 to 1328, and the grandson of Tribhuwanaraja, king of Melayu Kingdom. Adityawarman was awarded the Senior Minister of Majapahit (wreddamantri) and used this authority to launch Majapahit military expansion plans and conquer east coast region in Sumatra. Adityawarman then founded the royal dynasty of Minangkabau in Pagaruyung and presided over the central Sumatra region to take control of the gold trade between 1347 and 1375.
The Kedukan Bukit inscription is an inscription discovered by the Dutchman C.J. Batenburg on 29 November 1920 at Kedukan Bukit, South Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, on the banks of Tatang River, a tributary of Musi River. It is the oldest surviving specimen of the Malay language, in a form known as Old Malay. It is a small stone of 45 cm × 80 cm. This inscription is dated 1 May 683 CE. This inscription was written in Pallava script.
A candi is a Hindu or Buddhist temple in Indonesia, mostly built during the Zaman Hindu-Buddha or "Hindu-Buddhist period" between circa the 4th and 15th centuries.
Ananggawarman was a crown prince (yuvaraja) of the Malayapura kingdom, which ruled at the end of the 14th century. The Malayapura kingdom was centered on the Minangkabau Highlands and its territory covers much of central Sumatra. The name Ananggawarman is inscribed on Saruaso II inscription as the son of King Adityawarman. It is not clear when Ananggawarman began to reign in place of his father, but it was written in the History of Ming that the kingdom sent a messenger again to China in 1376.
Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism or Esoteric Buddhism in Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the traditions of Esoteric Buddhism found in Maritime Southeast Asia which emerged in the 7th century along the maritime trade routes and port cities of the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra as well as in Malaysia. These esoteric forms were spread by pilgrims and Tantric masters who received royal patronage from royal dynasties like the Sailendras and the Srivijaya. This tradition was also linked by the maritime trade routes with Indian Vajrayana, Tantric Buddhism in Sinhala, Cham and Khmer lands and in China and Japan, to the extent that it is hard to separate them completely and it is better to speak of a complex of "Esoteric Buddhism of Mediaeval Maritime Asia." Many key Indian port cities saw the growth of Esoteric Buddhism, a tradition which coexisted alongside Shaivism.
Johannes Gijsbertus de Casparis was a Dutch orientalist and indologist.
The naga morsarang, also known as sahan, is a container which is used to store medicine in the culture of Toba Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The naga morsarang is created out of the horn of the water buffalo.
Adwayawarman was the father of King Adityawarman of Malayapura kingdom as mentioned in the Kuburajo I Inscription. His alias name was Adwayadwaja, as he was called in the Bukit Gombak Inscription.
Bijayendrawarman was the name of one a yuwaraja of the Malayapura kingdom, who ruled in the 14th century in the Pasaman Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Bijayendrawarman's name is written in Lubuk Layang inscription, found in Pancahan village, in Rao Selatan district of Pasaman. It was stated that he built a stupa, in a place called Parwatapuri.
Akarendrawarman was a ruler of Malayapura kingdom in the Minangkabau plateau. His name was found in the Pagaruyung VII inscription, which is written in Old Malay, his full title is Paduka Sri Maharajadhiraja Srimat Sri Akarendrawarman. In carrying out his administration, he was assisted by various other officials, among others was a minister called Tuhan (lord) Parpatih. The kingdom was mentioned to be located in Parhyangan on Mount Mahameru.
Sri Maharaja Srimat Tribhuwanaraja Mauliwarmadewa was a king of Dharmasraya in Bhumi Malayu (Sumatra), as written on the Padang Roco inscription (1286).
Lubuk Layang inscription, also known as Kubu Sutan inscription, is an inscription found in 1970 in Kubu Sutan, Lubuk Layang, Rao Selatan district, Pasaman Regency, of West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Kuburajo Inscription, also called Kuburajo I Inscription, is one of the many inscriptions left by King Adityawarman of central Sumatra. The inscription was found in Kuburajo village, Lima Kaum district, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia in 1877 besides the main road from Batusangkar city to Padang city. The inscription was registered by N.J. Krom in Inventaris der Oudheden in de Padangsche Bovenlanden. The inscription is written in Sanskrit, and consists of 16 lines. This inscription was lost in 1987, but was rediscovered.
