Me and Museum Collection, Kota Kapur Inscription

Approximately five months ago, on a Sunday, me and some of my classmates went on a trip to Museum Nasional to work on our history project. As I strolled along the museum, choosing which artifact should I write on- which was not easy cause there was so many to choose from- I chose the Kota Kapur Inscription for the subject of my essay.

Kota Kapur Inscription is the finding archaeological Srivijaya inscription found on the west coast island of Bangka. This inscription is named according to the invention is a small hamlet called "Kotakapur". The inscription on the stele is written in script Pallawa and use the Old Malay language, and is one of the oldest document written in Malay. The inscription was discovered by J.K. van der Meulen in December 1892.

The inscription was first analyzed by H. Kern, an expert in epigraphy who worked on the Dutch in Batavia Genootschap Bataviaasch. At first he considered "Srivijaya" is the name of a king. George Coedes who later revealed that Srivijaya was credited with the name of a great empire in Sumatra in the 7th century AD, the powerful empire and once ruled the western part of the Archipelago, Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand.

This inscription is carved on a stone monument shaped triangular-facet with a height 177 cm, 32 cm wide at the bottom, and 19 cm at the top. The contents of the inscription emphasizes drohaka (traitors; rebellious), begins with the story of the rebellion Kandra Kayet. Narrated, Kandra Kayet is a figure who led the revolt against Dapunta Hyang. To quell the rebellion Kayet, Dapunta Hyang sent troops under the command of Senapati Tandrun nauseating. In battle, Senapati Tandrun was killed by Kayet nauseating. However, eventually succeeded Kayet also arrested by Dapunta Hyang. For this reason, the story needed to be a lesson Kayet uprising by the people who are under the power of Srivijaya that, however powerful they are, still will not win against the King of Srivijaya.

Original Manuscript

1.      Siddha titam servant nvari i ni avai kandra kayet paihumpaan namuha ulu LaVan tandrun nauseating nauseating makamatai tandrun vinunu paihumpaan hakairum muah kayet ni humpa Unai cash.

2.      Umentern bhakti ni ulun Haraki. Unai cash we savanakta devata Mahardika sannidhana. manraksa kadatuan çrivijaya yan. we tuvi tandrun nauseating vanakta devata mulana parsumpahan yan.

3.       paravis. kadadhi yan size sheets didalanna bhami paravis Hanun. Samavuddhi drohaka LaVan, manujari drohaka, niujari drohaka Talu drohaka din. tida yes.

4.      Tida Marppadah yes bhakti. tida yan diy tatvarjjawa me. dngan diiyan nigalarku Sanyasa datua. dhava vuathana size sheets Inan nivunuh yes yes oath nisuruh tapik mulan parvvanda çriwi datu-

5.      jaya. Talu muah dnan gotrasantanana yes. tathapi savankna yan vuatna evil. makalanit size sheets. makasuit. makagila. visaprayoga spell mace. udu tuwa. tamval.

6.      Sarambat. pity. vacikarana.ityevamadi. Janan muah sidha yes. yes yan ka gathering muah dosana vuatna Inan tathapi nivunuh evil oath Talu yan ya muah mulam yam manu-

7.      marjjahati spirit. yan Vatu this nipratishta tuvi nivunuh oath Talu yes, yes mulan muah. saranbhana size sheets drohaka tida I wll tatvarjjava diy, dhava vua-

8.      TNA niwunuh this oath gran kadachi yes yes I wll tatvjjava diy. * with the yam nigalarku Sanyasa dattua. Canti muah kavuatana. dngan gotrasantanana.

9.      Samrddha svasthi niroga nirupadrava subhiksa muah vanuana paravis chakravarsatita 608 din pratipada çuklapaksa vulan vaichaka. tatkalana

10.  Yan manman this oath. nipahat in velana yan yan Vala çrivijaya kalivat manapik Grounds java bhakti ka tida çrivijaya.

Translation

1.      Success! (Accompanied persumpahan spells that do not understand the meaning)

2.       O all powerful deity, which is being assembled and protect this Sriwijaya Kadātuan; ye gods who started the beginning of any oath!

3.      Where in the interior of all areas under this Kadātuan there will be people who are plotting to revolt ¬ not with the rebels, who spoke with the rebels, who listened to the rebels;

4.      who knew the rebels, who does not behave respectfully, which is not subject, which is not faithful to me and to them which I was appointed as the datu; let the people who become perpetrators of these acts subject to the curse of death let an expedition against him immediately under the leadership datu datu or some Srivijaya, and let them

5.      punished with clans and families. Moreover, let all her evil ways, such as to disturb ¬: peace of the soul of people, making people sick, make people mad, using spells, poison, poison and toxins using the tube, marijuana,

6.      saramwat, philtre, impose its will on others and so on, may the deeds that did not work and hitting those who are guilty of evil deeds; let them die of curses anyway. Moreover let those who incite people

7.       so destructive, damaging the stone is placed in this place, also got the curse of death, and punished immediately. Let the murderers, rebels, those who do not worship, that is not faithful to me, let the perpetrators of such actions

8.      die of a curse. But if the subject loyal to me and to them that I was appointed by the datu, so let's hope their efforts are blessed, also clans and families

9.      with success, peace, health, freedom from disaster ¬, ¬ its abundance of everything for all of their land! Saka year 608, the first day of bright half moon Waisakha (28 February 686 AD), that's when

10.  This curse was pronounced; pemahatannya took place when the new army set out to attack Srivijaya Bhumi Java is not subject to Srivijaya.

The following translation of the contents of the inscriptions Muljana Slamet version:
A magnifying the brave, Kandra Kayet, on the battlefield. He wrestled with and killed Tandrun Tandrun nauseating nauseating. Tandrun nauseating slain on the battlefield. But, how fate Kayet who killed it? Kayet also been able to eliminated. Remember going to win it!
Ye gods who rule and are being gathered to keep the kingdom of Srivijaya! And you, Tandrun nauseating, and the gods called on all persumpahan this opening! If at any time throughout the kingdom there are false ones, in alliance with a traitor, a traitor or a reprimand reprimanded by the traitor, in agreement with the traitor, would not submit and did not want to worship, not loyal to me and to those who kuserahi datu rule, people who doing so it will be consumed oath. To them, will be immediately sent troops on the orders of Srivijaya. They will be eliminated sesanak family! And all who do evil, deceiving people, make sick, make mad, using a magic, using a can, poison, tuba, serambat, philtre, pellets and the like it, hopefully not successful. Sin is an evil act to destroy this stone should be killed by an oath, soon beaten. Those who harm, who rebelled, who is not loyal to me and to the power kuserahi datu, those who do so that, hopefully killed by this oath. But the opposite, they are devoted to me and to those who kuserahi datu power, should be blessed all his deeds and his relatives, happy, healthy, quiet and abundant provision of disaster all the inhabitants of the village. Kota Kapur Inscription is Srivijaya inscription which was first discovered, long before a new inscription found Kedukan Hill on November 29, 1920, and Talang Tuo Inscription found a few days earlier ie on 17 November 1920.

Kota Kapur inscription, along with other archaeological discoveries in the area, is the relics of the Srivijaya and open up new insights about those times in the Hindu-Buddhist period. This inscription is also opening an overview of patterns of people living in the 6th century and the 7th century by the Hindu religious backgrounds.

Visiting the museum.

To be brutally honest, visiting a museum was all in all pretty boring. But remembering back the last time I went to a museum, a few spirit got into me a little especially remembering that I’m going there with my classmates.

At first, the whole class went into a discussion of which museum will we visit and when, after having it we decided to go on Sunday and chose Museum Nasional because it’s the only museum that opens on a Sunday (as far as we knew).

When the visit day came, I didn’t know how to get there. My house was considered very far from the place and I didn’t know what to do. Logically I could’ve ask my friends for a ride, but most of them took off already. My last option would be taking a bus, and I eventually took that last option. I remembered how humid Jakarta was that day, it was also very hot.

At the end of the day, I took the positive side out of the whole visit. I was glad to be able to see parts of the museum that I haven’t seen before. The negative side? Well despite the whole transport problem, there was really nothing wrong. All in all, I was quite satisfied for having to visit Museum Nasional.