ofthe SAME TREE

There is also support for the argument that Indian influence may have
reached Padang Lawas from the north. Harry Parkin, for example, argues that
many Saivite ideas were brought by Indians themselves through communities
such as those found in Lobu Tua and Kota Cina. 96 A team of archaeologists
visiting the site in 1973 also concluded that it had no clear relationship with
Java. 97 Their preliminary findings suggest that the Padang Lawas complex
was more a result of Indian influence coming from the port cities in northern
Sumatra rather than from Java and southern Sumatra. It is likely, however,
that Padang Lawas received Indianized ideas from both directions and
formed a cultural frontier between the Minangkabau and the Batak. The idea
of a “frontier” between these two cultural groups was first advanced by the
archaeologist Satyawati Suleiman in an attempt to explain the presence of an
inscription associated with Adityawarman found at Lubuk Layang in the Pasaman
district. The inscription was near the border of south Tapanuli, where
the Padang Lawas complex—located at the confluence of the Sirumambe, the
Barumun, and the Panai Rivers—formed the center of the ancient kingdom
of Panai. For this reason, Satyawati believes that the inscription was issued
by a local prince under Adityawarman whose task was to guard the frontier
against possible invasion from Panai. 98
The close link between Sriwijaya, Malayu, and Panai is evident in the
presence of Tantric Buddhist ideas. De Casparis argues that in the Sabokingking
(Telaga Batu) inscription, many of the punishments and the rewards
for those drinking the sacred oath of loyalty to the Sriwijaya ruler are Tantric
references. 99 Based on a study of the artistic images found in east Java and
Sumatra where Tantric influences are evident, Reichle concludes that Sumatra
is characterized by Buddhist Tantrism. In Padang Lawas, for example, the
images are almost universally Buddhist with a striking exception of a Ganesa
figure atop a pillar. An inscription accompanying the image mentions the
name of an official, which appears to have been the same one associated with
the inscription on the Amoghapasa statue associated with Adityawarman. 100
Religion and the High Priests in the Service of Trade
Whatever the ultimate source of Indian religious inspiration in Padang
Lawas, the evidence suggests that Indian magico-religious ideas were eagerly
sought by the Batak to strengthen their belief systems in the ongoing effort
to improve their spiritual and material well-being. Indigenous Batak religion,
known as Perbegu or Pemena, 101 was not overwhelmed by religious concepts
from India, but came to coexist with them. It was therefore possible for the
Batak to practice their own beliefs while also adopting Mahayana Buddhist,
Saivite, and Tantric rituals.
The Batak Malayu 161