The Ulubelu Inscription, Relics Kingdom of Sunda in Lampung

INDEPHEDIA.com - The Ulubelu inscription is one of the inscriptions which is thought to be a relic of the Sunda Kingdom in the 15th century AD.

This inscription is called Ulubelu because it was found in Ulubelu, Rebangpunggung Village, Kotaagung, Tanggamus Regency, Lampung Province, Sumatra Island, Indonesia.

The Ulubelu inscription, whose script was etched on a small natural stone, was discovered in 1936.

The script written on the Ulubelu inscription is very thin and small, the script is also worn and damaged.

The stone in the middle is broken, but still shows the style and shape resembling the Old Sundanese script.

Even though it was found in the Lampung area, some historians consider the script used in this inscription to be Old Sundanese script, so this inscription is often regarded as a relic of the Sunda Kingdom.

This historian's assumption is supported by the fact that the Sunda Kingdom at that time also included the Lampung region.

After the Kingdom of Sunda was defeated and torn down by the Sultanate of Banten, power over the southern region of Sumatra was continued by the Sultanate of Banten.

The contents of the inscription are in the form of a mantra asking for help to the main gods, namely Batara Guru (Shiva), Brahma and Vishnu.

Then, the mantra is also addressed to the god of water, land and trees to keep safe from all enemies.

Regarding the script in the Ulubelu Inscription, another opinion states that the script shaped like nails in this inscription (ka ga nga script) is a Sumatran script which is also used as in the Batak, Rejang and Lampung scripts.

The ka ga nga script is the forerunner of the Lampung script in leather manuscripts (dalung) in the following century to the present.

Now, the Ulubelu Inscription is stored in the National Museum or what is often called the Elephant Museum in Central Jakarta, with inventory number D.154. (*)