| Kota Kapur Inscription | |
|---|---|
 Kota Kapur inscription pinnacle | |
| Material | Stone |
| Writing | Pallava script |
| Created | 28 February 686 CE |
| Discovered | December 1892 Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia |
| Discovered by | J.K. van der Meulen |
| Present location | National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta |
| Registration | D. 80 |
| Language | Old Malay |
Kota Kapur Inscription is an inscription discovered on the western coast of Bangka Island, off coast South Sumatra, Indonesia, by J.K. van der Meulen in December 1892. It was named after the village of the same name which is the location where these archaeological findings were discovered.
This inscription uses using Old Malay language written in Pallava script. It was one of the oldest surviving written evidence of the ancient Malay language. The inscription dated the first day of half moon Vaiśākha in the year 608 Śaka (28 February 686 CE), mentioned the curse of whoever committed treason against Srivijaya and the beginning of Srivijayan invasion against Java.
The inscription was first examined and dated by H. Kern, a Dutch epigrapher who worked for Bataviaasch Genootschap in Batavia. At first, he thought that Srivijaya was the name of a king.
George Cœdès noted the name on the inscriptions was that of Srivijaya, a Buddhist kingdom in 638–86, "that had just conquered the hinterland of Jambi and the island of Bangka and was preparing to launch a military expedition against Java." The name corresponds to Yijing's.[1]: 82
- ^ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.