Sojomerto inscription

The Sojomerto inscription is an inscription discovered in Sojomerto village, Reban, Batang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Written in Old Malay using the Kawi script, it was initially dated to c. the 7th century,^[1] but later redated, on palaeographic grounds, to the early 9th century.^[2] The inscription is currently in situ or on location.^[3]

The inscription is Shivaist in nature,^[1] talking about the head of a noble family named Dapunta Selendra, the son of Santanu and Bhadrawati, the husband of Sampula. Boechari speculates that Dapunta Selendra was the progenitor of the Sailendras, an influential family who would later rule Mataram and Srivijaya. Recent investigation concluded that the name Selendra mentioned in this inscription likely has no relation with Sailendra.^[4]

The inscription was carved on an andesite stone 43 cm wide, 7 cm thick, and 78 cm tall.^[5] The text consists of 11 lines, most of them being unclear and eroded.

... beribu-ribu ... ... namaḥ Śivāya, Betara Parameswara dan serba Dewa aku sembah. Hiyaṃ ... miḥ adalah ... kepada Ḍapunta Selendra. Santanū namanya bapanya. Bhadravati namanya ibunya. Sampūla namanya bininya tuan Selendra. ...

Praise to Lord Shiva Bhatara Parameshvara and all the gods ... from the honorable Dapunta Selendra Santanu is the name of his father, Bhadrawati is the name of his mother, Sampula is the name of the wife of noble Selendra.

This inscription concluded that the family of Dapunta Selendra settled on the north coast of Central Java, speaks Old Malay, and are Shivaist Hindus.

The discovery of the inscription has led to the development of theories proposing a Sumatran origin of the Sailendras, and also with the possibility of their initial establishment at the north coast of Central Java before moving inland to the Kedu Plain. Just like the Sojomerto Inscription, some of Sailendra's inscriptions of the later period—although discovered in Central Java—are also written in Old Malay instead of Old Javanese, which suggested Sumatran connections. The name 'Selendra' mentioned in the inscription as "Dapunta Selendra" suggests a reference to the ancestor of the Sailendra dynasty. The title 'Dapunta' is similar to those of Srivijayan kings such as Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa, which suggests a Srivijayan connection to the Sailendra family. The family was first settled in Central Java's northern coast around the Batang and Pekalongan regency, they were initially Hindu Shivaist. At a certain point in time, they moved southward and established themselves in the Kedu Plain and later probably converted to Mahayana Buddhism.

Another interpretation suggests that the family was probably ethnically Javanese, but had Srivijayan connections. The ruling family was probably a local ruler but was somehow subjugated by Srivijaya through invasion and served as its vassal. The early Sailendras possibly belonged within Srivijaya's mandala or sphere of influence. Previously known through the Kota Kapur inscription (686 CE) Srivijaya launched a series of military campaigns against Bhumi Java, which also corresponds to the fall of the Tarumanagara kingdom in West Java.

Investigation by Zakharov (2012) concluded that the "Selendra" mentioned in the inscription likely has nothing to do with the Sailendra dynasty: The inscription mentions the words hakairu and daiva which have the diphthong ai, so that diphthong should also be used in the name Dapunta Selendra. However, this theory is obsolete because there is no data on the existence of the Shailendra dynasty in Sumatra earlier than the 9th century and Srivijaya was unable to conquer Java. According to Damais, the Sojomerto Inscription dates from the 8th century, placing it after the Kedukan Bukit inscription (683 CE). What happened was the opposite—the Shailendra dynasty subdued Srivijaya and its area of control on the Malay peninsula.^{[4]: 22–27}

• Canggal inscription (732)
• Kalasan inscription (778)
• Kelurak inscription (782)
• Manjusrigrha inscription (792)
• Karangtengah inscription (824)
• Tri Tepusan inscription (842)