The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

REVIEW ARTICLES 291
and elaborate explanations have to be made as to bow and why the
rulers changed from one faith to the other, and even back again.
My impression--and a strong impression it was-is that Dieng had
nothing to do with the Sailendras in South Central Java. It had affinities
with East Java. It was a contemporary but separate civilization to that
of the Sailendras, one that started before and ended after the
disintigration of the Sailendras early in the lOth century.
Several new inscriptions have been found on the coastal region of
North Central Java, of which the most important came from the village
of Sodjomerto. It is in Old Malay and Boechari, who edited the text,
gives it a 7th century dating (Preliminary Report on the Discovery of an
Old Malay Inscription at Sodjomerto, Jakarta, 1966}. Two other
inscriptions were found to the south and north of Sodjomerto respectively,
the latter being found only two kilometers from the. coast. Both are
older than the Sodjomerto stele.
Old Malay inscriptions have been found in South Sumatra, and in
several districts in Java. These range in date from the 7th to the end
of the lOth century-the Manjusri inscription from Sewu is dated 792.
Old Malay would appear to have been the lingua franca of that
time, or what the Chinese call Kun-lun, which was used. all over the
Archipelago. No inscription in that language has been found on the
Peninsula, but it was no doubt used there too, as well as on the mainland.
I now wonder whether this language was only used by Malays, or by
Sumatrans, Javanese, and all sorts of other ethnic groups too.
The Sodjomerto inscription mentions a Dapunta Selendra and gives
the names of his father, mother, and wife. He was a Shaivite. I will
quote the text, as translated by Boechari (lines 3-10) ..
"Homage to Civ'a Bhatara Paramecvara and all the gods I honour.
Hiyang-mik is the ..... of the Honorable Dapunta Selendra.
Santanu is the name of his father. Bbadravati is the name of his
mother. Sampula is the name of the wife of the Honorable
, Selendra."