The Kutai Kingdom is the oldest kingdom in Indonesia. This kingdom is located on the banks of the Mahakam river in Muarakaman, East Kalimantan, near the town of Tenggarong.
Dynasty Founder
It is estimated that the Kingdom of Kutai was founded in the 4th century AD. The inscription was erected by King Mulawarman. Historical evidence about the Kutai kingdom is the discovery of seven inscriptions in the form of yuba (stone pillars) written on yuba using Pallawa letters and Sanskrit.
The contents of the inscription stated that the first king of the Kingdom of Kutai was named Kudungga. He has a son named Asawarman who is referred to as wamsakerta (family maker). After he died, Asawarman was replaced by Mulawarman. The use of the name Asawarman and the names of the kings in subsequent generations shows that the influence of Hindu teachings had entered the Kutai kingdom and this proves that the Kutai kings were native Indonesians who had embraced Hinduism.
Kingdom Life
Social life in the Kingdom of Kutai is a translation of the inscriptions found by experts. Among these translations are the following:
- Society in the Kingdom of Kutai is organized, orderly and orderly
- People in the Kingdom of Kutai have the ability to adapt to foreign cultures (India) and follow the changing patterns of the times while maintaining and preserving their own culture.
Economic life in the Kingdom of Kutai can be known from the following two things:
The geographical location of the Kutai Kingdom is on the trade routes between China and India. The Kingdom of Kutai became an interesting place for merchants to stop by. This shows that trading activities have become part of the life of the Kutai people, in addition to agriculture.
Written information on the inscription says that King Mulawarman once gave his wealth in the form of oil and 20,000 cows to the Brahmins.
The cultural life of the Kutai people is as follows:
- The people of Kutai are people who maintain the roots of their ancestral cultural traditions.
- People who are very responsive to changes and cultural progress.
- Uphold religious spirit in their cultural life.
Entry of Cultural Influence
The influx of Indian cultural influence into the archipelago caused Indonesian culture to change. The most important change is the emergence of a government system with a king as its head. Before Indian culture entered, the government was only led by a tribal chief.
Apart from that, another mix-up is the life of the ancestors of the Indonesian people who built stone monuments. This habit shows that in accepting foreign cultural elements, the Indonesian people are active. This means that the Indonesian people are trying to find and adapt these foreign cultural elements to their own culture.
The Indonesian people have a habit of erecting stone monuments, called menhirs, for the worship of ancestral spirits, while the stone monuments (Yupa) erected by King Mulawarman are used to tie up sacrificial animals.
The inscription also tells that King Mulawaraman ruled wisely. He once presented ± 20,000 cows for sacrifice to brahmins/priests. And the inscription also stated that King Aswawarman was the founder of the dynasty, why wasn't his father Kudungga the founder of the dynasty but his son Aswawarman? This was because at that time King Kudungga had not embraced Hinduism, so he could not become the founder of the Hindu dynasty.
From King, Aswawarman descended to Mulawarman, because Mulawarman also embraced Hinduism. This is known from the mention of the sacred building for God Trimurti. The building is called the Wapraskewara building and in the Kembeng Cave in the interior of Kutai, there are a number of Hindu religious statues such as Shiva and Ganesha.
Legacy Evidence
Historical evidence of the Kutai Kingdom is the discovery of seven inscriptions in the form of Yupa (stone pillars)
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