The Belanjong pillar, also known as Blanjong pillar or Blanjong inscription ( Indonesian: Prasasti Blanjong ), is a pillar established in 914 CE in the harbour of Belangong, in the southern area of Sanur in Bali. The pillar was established by king Sri Kesari Warmadewa, the first king of the Balinese Warmadewa dynasty and bears a long inscription where the king describes his military campaign in the island. It is located in the alley leading to the Belanjong pillar in the Belanjong (Blanjong) Temple, where it is housed under a protective enclosure, and is often decorated and partially covered with devotional cloth. The inscription on the top of the pillar is written in both the Indian Sanskrit language and Old Balinese language, using two scripts, the Nagari script and the Old Balinese script (which is used to write both Balinese and Sanskrit). The mix of language and script suggest that the objective of the inscription was not to communicate locally to the Balinese people, but rather to be established as a symbol of power and authority. The Old Balinese in pre-Nagari script in on one side of the pillar, while the Sanskrit inscription in Pallava-derived old Javanese script (also called Kawi script) is on the other side. This is the first known inscription in which a Balinese king recorded his name. According to the inscription, Sri Kesari was a Buddhist king of the Sailendra Dynasty leading a military expedition, to establish a Mahayana Buddhist government in Bali. The pillar testifies to the connections of Bali with the Sanjaya Dynasty in Central Java. The inscription also tells about the success of military expeditions of offshore islands, either Nusa Penida or faraway Maluku. Two other inscription by Kesari are known in the interior Bali, which suggest conflicts in the mountainous interior of the island. The Belanjong pillar in Sanur dates to 914 CE ( according to the Indian Saka calendar, dated in the year 836 saka ), and testifies to the contacts between Bali and the Indian subcontinent. The pillar was only discovered in 1932, and has remained where it was initially found. Source of Information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belanjong_pillar

• published: 26 Sep 2013
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