| Laguna Copperplate Inscription | |
|---|---|
 The inscription displayed at theNational Museum of Anthropology in Manila | |
| Material | Copper |
| Height | <20 cm (7.9 in) |
| Width | <30 cm (12 in) |
| Created | April 21, 900 (1125 years ago) (900-04-21) |
| Discovered | 1987 Lumban,Laguna, Philippines |
| Present location | National Museum of the Philippines |
| Language | MainlyOld Malay with someSanskrit and either possiblyOld Javanese orOld Tagalog according toAntoon Postma |
TheLaguna Copperplate Inscription[1] is an officialacquittance (debt relief) certificate inscribed onto a copper plate in theShaka year 822 (Gregorian A.D. 900). It is the earliest-known, extant, calendar-dated document found within thePhilippines.[2]
The plate was found in 1987 by a laborer near the mouth of theLumbang River in Wawa,Lumban,Laguna, in thePhilippines. The inscription was mainly written inOld Malay using the Old Javanese script calledKawi script, with several technicalSanskrit words and eitherOld Javanese orOld Tagaloghonorifics.[3] After it was found, the text was first translated in 1991 byAntoon Postma,[4] aDutch anthropologist andHanunó'o script researcher.[2]
The inscription documents the existence and names of several surrounding states as of A.D. 900, such as theTagalogcity-state ofTondo.[2] Some historians associate the toponymMedang in this inscription regarding theMedang palace inJava at that time, although the name is a common term ofMalayo-Polynesian origin.[2]
The inscription is made out ofcopper and measures about 20 by 30 centimeters (7.9 in × 11.8 in), with the words directly embossed onto the plate. It differs in manufacture from Javanese scrolls of the period, which had the words inscribed onto a heated, softened metal scroll.[5]
It records the date as the year 822 of theShaka era, the month of Vaishakha, and the fourth day of the waning moon on the weekday of Somavara, which corresponds to Monday, April 21, 900, on theJulian calendar.[6] The text is Old Malay, with numerous loanwords from Sanskrit and a few non-Malay vocabulary elements whose origin may be Old Javanese.[2] The Sanskrit words are used for technical terms, while the Javanese words are used forforms of address. The Old Malay it uses differs from examples found in Java and Sumatra.[7] The document states that it releases its bearers, the children ofNamwaran, from debt ingold amounting to 1kati and 8suwarnas (865 grams; 27.8 troy ounces).[5][8]
| Line | Kawi text | Transliteration by Hector Santos (1995)[9] | Preliminary translation by Antoon Postma (1992)[2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 𑼱𑽂𑼮𑼱𑽂𑼡𑼶 𑼯𑼒𑼮𑼂𑼱𑼴𑼡𑼶𑼡 𑽘𑽒𑽒 𑼮𑼿𑼱𑼴𑼓 𑼪𑼴𑼱 𑼣𑼶 𑼙𑽂𑼫𑽀𑼡𑼶𑼰 𑼗𑼡𑼸𑼂𑼢 𑼒𑼺𑼰𑽂𑼠𑼦𑼒𑽂𑼰 𑼱𑽀- | swasti shaka warshatita 822waisakha masa dingjyotisha.chaturthikrishnapaksha so- | Hail! In theSaka-year 822; the month of March–April [=Vaishakh] according to the astronomer: the fourth day of the dark half of the moon; on | |
| 2 | 𑼪𑼮𑼴𑼬 𑼱𑼴𑼪 𑼡𑼡𑽂𑼒𑼴𑼭 𑼣𑼫𑼁 𑼄𑼖𑽂𑼒𑼡𑼥𑽁 𑼭𑼮𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑽂𑼖𑼥𑽁𑼛 𑼱𑼴𑼥𑼒𑽁 𑼨𑼂𑼖𑼴𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼱𑼶 𑼨𑼸𑼒𑼃 | -mawara sana tatkala dayang angkatan lawan dengannya sanak barngaran si bukah | Monday. At that time, Lady Angkatan together with her relative, Bukah by name, | |
| 3 | 𑼄𑼥𑼒𑽁 𑼣 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼪𑽂𑼮𑽂𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑼶𑼨𑼬𑼶 𑼮𑼬𑼣𑼴𑼥 𑼮𑼶 𑼯𑼸𑼣𑽂𑼤𑼦𑽁𑼂𑼡 𑼈𑼭𑼶𑼃 𑼱𑼁 𑼦𑼪𑽂𑼔𑼡𑽁 𑼱𑼾𑼥𑼴𑼦𑼡𑼶 𑼱𑼶 𑼡𑼸𑼠𑽂𑼣𑼸- | anakda dang hwan namwaran di bari waradana wi shuddhapat(t)ra ulih sang pamegat senapati di tundu- | the child of His Honor Namwaran, was given, as a special favor, a document of full acquittal, by the Chief and Commander of Tundun | |
| 4 | 𑼥𑽁 𑼨𑼬𑽂𑼙𑼴 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼴𑼫𑼒 𑼡𑼸𑼲𑼴𑼥𑽁 𑼦𑼿𑼭𑼃 𑼙𑼫𑼣𑼾𑼮 𑼣𑼶 𑼒𑽂𑼬𑼪 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼪𑽂𑼮𑽂𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑽂𑼖𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑼁 𑼒𑼴𑼫- | n barja(di) dang hwan nayaka tuhan pailah jayadewa. di krama dang hwan namwaran dengan dang kaya- | representing the Leader of Pailah, Jayadewa. This means that His Honor Namwaran, through the Honorable Scribe | |
| 5 | 𑼱𑽂𑼢 𑼯𑼸𑼣𑽂𑼤𑼴 𑼥𑼸 𑼣𑼶𑼦𑼂𑼭𑼦𑽂𑼦𑼱𑽁 𑼲𑼸𑼡𑼁 𑼣𑼮 𑼭𑼾𑼥𑽂𑼣𑼒𑼴 𑽑 𑼱𑼸 𑽘 𑼣𑼶 𑼲𑼣𑼦𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼴𑼫𑼒 𑼒 𑼡𑼹𑼲𑼥𑽁 𑼦𑼸- | stha shuddha nu di parlappas hutangda wale(da)nda kati 1 suwarna 8 di hadapan dang hwan nayaka tuhan pu- | was totally cleared of a salary-related debt of 1 kati and 8 suwarna (weight of gold): in the presence of His Honor the Leader of Puliran, | |
| 6 | 𑼭𑼶𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼒𑼱𑼸𑼪𑼸𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼴𑼫𑼒 𑼡𑼸𑼲𑼴𑼥𑽁 𑼦𑼿𑼭𑼃 𑼨𑼂𑼙𑼣𑼶 𑼔𑼠𑼯𑼒𑽂𑼡𑼶 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼴𑼫𑼒 𑼡𑼸- | liran ka sumuran. dang hwan nayaka tuhan pailah barjadi ganashakti. dang hwan nayaka tu- | Kasumuran; His Honor the Leader of Pailah, representing Ganashakti; (and) His Honor the Leader | |
| 7 | 𑼲𑼴𑼥𑽁 𑼨𑼶𑼥𑽂𑼮𑼴𑼖𑼥𑽁 𑼨𑼂𑼙𑼴𑼣𑼶 𑼨𑼶𑼯𑽂𑼬𑼸𑼡 𑼡𑼢𑼴𑼦𑼶 𑼱𑼴𑼣𑼴𑼥𑽂𑼣 𑼱𑼴𑼥𑼒𑽁 𑼒𑼦𑼬𑼴𑼮𑼶𑼱𑽁 𑼈𑼭𑼶𑼃 𑼱𑼁 𑼦𑼪𑽂𑼔𑼡𑽁 𑼣𑼾- | han binuangan barjadi bishruta tathapi sadanda sanak kaparawis ulih sang pamegat de- | of Binuangan, representing Bisruta. And, with his whole family, on orders of the Chief of Dewata | |
| 8 | 𑼮𑼡 𑼮𑼂𑼙𑼴𑼣𑼶 𑼱𑼁 𑼦𑼪𑽂𑼔𑼡𑽁 𑼪𑽂𑼞𑼁 𑼣𑼬𑼶 𑼩𑼒𑽂𑼡𑼶𑼥𑽂𑼣 𑼣𑼶𑼦𑼂𑼲𑼸𑼭𑼸𑼥𑽁 𑼱𑼁 𑼦𑼪𑽂𑼔𑼡𑽁 𑼫𑼪𑼒𑼴𑼛 𑼱𑼴𑼣𑼴𑼛 𑼄𑼥𑼒𑽁 | wata [ba]rjadi sang pamegat medang dari bhaktinda di parhulun sang pamegat. ya makanya sadanya anak | representing the Chief of Mdang, because of his loyalty as a subject (slave?) of the Chief, therefore all the descendants | |
| 9 | 𑼗𑼸𑼗𑼸 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼪𑽂𑼮𑽂𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼯𑼸𑼣𑽂𑼤𑼫 𑼒𑼦𑼬𑼴𑼮𑼶𑼱𑽁 𑼣𑼶 𑼙𑼸𑼡𑼁 𑼣 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮𑼥𑽂𑼥𑼪𑽂𑼮𑽂𑼬𑼥𑽁 𑼣𑼶 𑼱𑼁 𑼦𑼪𑽂𑼔𑼡𑽁 𑼣𑼾𑼮𑼡 𑼆𑼥𑼶 𑼔𑽂𑼬𑼁 | chuchu dang hwan namwaran shuddha ya kaparawis di hutangda dang hwan namwaran di sang pamegat dewata. ini gerang | of His Honor Namwaran have been cleared of the whole debt that His Honor owed the Chief of Dewata. This (document) is (issued) in case | |
| 10 | 𑼱𑽂𑼫𑼴𑼡𑽁 𑼱𑽂𑼫𑼴𑼦𑼴𑼥𑽂𑼡𑼴𑼲 𑼦𑼯𑽂𑼗𑼴𑼡𑽁 𑼣𑼶𑼁 𑼅𑼬𑼶 𑼒𑼪𑼸𑼣𑽂𑼫𑼥𑽁 𑼅𑼣 𑼔𑽂𑼬𑼁 𑼈𑼬𑼁 𑼮𑼬𑼸𑼙𑼬 𑼮𑽂𑼭𑼸𑼁 𑼒𑼦𑽂𑼦𑼱𑽁 𑼲𑼸𑼡𑼁 𑼣 𑼣𑼁 𑼲𑽂𑼮... | syat syapanta ha pashchat ding ari kamudyan ada gerang urang barujara welung lappas hutangda dang hwa ... | there is someone, whosoever, some time in the future, who will state that the debt is not yet acquitted of His Honor... | Line 10 of the inscription is cut mid-sentence.[2] |
Postma, who first translated the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, suggested that the place names and personal names in the inscription needed to be carefully studied by scholars because "they furnish vital clues regarding the political and topographic background" of the world around the time of the inscription. He identified astoponyms the wordsPailah,Tundun,Puliran, andBinuangan, and posited thatDewata andMedang could be either personal names or toponyms. Postma identified three of these toponyms,Binuangan,Pailah, andPuliran, as Malayo-Polynesian in origin, and three other toponyms,Tundun,Dewata, andMdang, as being of Sanskrit origin.[2]
After carefully considering possible interpretations of the text, including the possibility that Pailah and Puliran were located in the Laguna Lake region, Postma concluded that he was confident thatBinuangan,Pailah, andPuliran "find their equivalents within the limited area of what is now known asBulacan Province in the Philippines, [and that] the text of this same inscription can be considered to refer indeed to these places, already existing already under identical names in the tenth century".[2] The text itself, however, being written in 900, was created in the ninth century.
Postma emphasized that his interpretation of the inscription place names being in Bulacan puts these named settlements on key locations on Central Luzon's river systems, which he referred to as "water highways", which allowed "an effective (and often only) means of transportation and communication between the different settlements", as well as providing Chinese and Southeast Asian maritime traders easy access to interior trading centers via rivers. He also noted that Central Luzon's rivers were "much deeper and certainly were more navigable than they are today".[2]
Postma's assertions have been challenged, notably by the Pila Historical Society Foundation and local historian Jaime F. Tiongson, but have not been fully resolved byscholarly peer review.[10][11]
Postma asserted that he was fairly certain that four words in the inscription were place names, or toponyms: "Pailah" (lines 4 and 6), "Tundun" (line 3), "Puliran" (line 6), and "Binuangan" (line 7).[2]
Tundun, whose name Postma believed to be "Sanskrit in origin", was referenced in line 3 of the inscription.[2] It is the most easily recognizable of the toponyms identified by Postma in the inscription, and scholarly consensus generally agrees with Postma's original identification of the inscription's Tundun asTondo, the polity located on the northern seaside of thePasig River delta, where the Pasig River empties intoManila Bay.[12]: 134 [13]: 38
Postma left an avenue for an alternative interpretation open, however, saying that Mdang and Tondo "because of their lingual consonants (n and d) that are of Sanskrit origin might originally be toponyms existing on the Island of Java".[2]
Postma identified Pailah, whose name he believed to beAustronesian in origin, as a "locality with its leader". It was referenced twice, in lines 4 and 6 of the inscription. Locating its possible location inBulacan, Postma proposed its site to be "the village of Paila, in Barangay of San Lorenzo at the eastern part of the municipality ofNorzagaray, with coordinates 14–54.5 & 121-06.9".[2] However, it might also be referred to the Pailaha region part ofNorth Sulawesi province located in the northernSulawesi.
Postma identified Puliran, whose name he believed to beAustronesian in origin, as a "locality with its own leader" referenced in line 6 of the inscription. Postma asserted that Puliran was probably located in modern-dayBulacan, on the current site of "Pulilan, along theAngat River (pronounced: Anggat) north of Manila, (coordinates: 14–54.2 & 120-50.8)".[2]
Postma believed that the place-name of Binuangan, referenced in line 7 of the inscription as a locality with its own leader, wasAustronesian in origin. Locating its possible location inBulacan, Postma proposed its site to be "the village ofBinuangan, belonging to the municipality ofObando, situated at the mouth of theBulacan River, with coordinates 14–43.2 & 120–543".[2]
Based on linguistic analysis, Postma concluded that the words Dewata and Mdang "could be either personal names or toponyms". He noted that their names seemed to beSanskrit in origin but did not go into a deep discussion of where they might have been located, other than to sayMdang was already known as a place name in Indonesia.
Abinales and Amoroso (2005) note that the leaders ofDewata and Mdang (if these words are indeed to be accepted as toponyms) were not present for the transaction but were rather invoked as authorities in certifying the cancellation of the debt in question: "Jayadewa invokes the authority of the chief of Dewata, who in turn represents thechief of Medang".[13]
Postma's paper proposing his translation and interpretation of the inscription mentions that his search of the Indonesian toponym listings developed by Damais and Darmosoetopo, as well as his consultation with the 14th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association (IPPA) in August 1990, determined that Mdang was the only (possible) toponym in the inscription that matched known Indonesian place names.[2]
Abinales and Amoroso (2005), citing Patanñe (1996) note that this seems to refer to "a temple complex in Java, where thekingdom of Mataram was a rival toSrivijaya".[13]
Scholars after Postma, such as Patanñe (1996) and Abinales and Amoroso (2005) have come toidentify the Dewata of the inscription as a settlement in or near "present-dayMount Diwata,near Butuan".[13]
While it is clear from the text of the inscription that Jayadewa of Tondo is invoking the authority of the Chief of Dewata, the precise relationship between Dewata and Mdang is less clear. E.P. Patanñe notes: "This relationship is unclear but a possible explanation is that the chief of Dewata wanted it to be known that he had a royal connection in Java."[12]
Postma's assertions regarding the exact locations ofPailah,Puliran, andBinuangan have been challenged by the Pila Historical Society Foundation and local historian Jaime F. Tiongson, who assert that the place namesPailah andPuliran are more likely to refer to places close to where the plate was found—in Lumban—given that archeological findings in nearbyPila show the presence of an extensive settlement during precolonial times.[10][11]
According to Tiongson's interpretation,Pailah refers to Pila;Puliran refers to Puliran, the old name of the territory that occupied the southeastern part ofLaguna de Bay at the time; andBinuangan refers to a modern-day barangay, Binawangan inCapalonga,Camarines Norte.[14]: 125 [10][11]
The inscription contains a great number of words derived from Sanskrit, starting with a line of astronomical terms that indicate the date of the inscription in detail. It also has some Old Javanese and Old Tagalog words expressing ceremonious forms of address. However, the main language of the inscription is Old Malay, which served as thelingua franca, or trade language, of the whole archipelago during those times.[2] The most significant indication of Old Malay features is found in verbal affixes used in the inscription, e.g.bar-,di-, anddipar-, which correspond tober-,di-, anddiper-, respectively, in modern Malay and Indonesian. Old Malay words and their modern Malay and Indonesian counterparts are listed below, each followed by its English gloss:
Aside from the Sanskrit and Old Malay words, there are also some pure Old Javanese words that have no cognates in Old Malay, or at least have not been found in other Old Malay inscriptions, likengaran (name) andpamegat (leader, chief). In an Old Malay inscription, one would expectbarnama instead ofbarngaran becausenama is the Sanskrit-derived word for 'name' in Old and Modern Malay.Pamegat is another Old Javanese word that frequently occurs in Old Javanese inscriptions but not in Old Malay ones. It is often preceded by the honorificsang, as in the inscription. These words are accepted as Old Javanese words but could be Old Tagalog as well because they exist in both of these languages.[2]
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, together with other recent finds such as theGolden Tara ofButuan and 14th-century pottery and gold jewelry inCebu, is highly important in revisingancient Philippine history, which some Western historians previously considered culturally isolated from the rest of Asia, as no evident pre-Hispanic written records had been found at the time. Philippine historianWilliam Henry Scott debunked these theories in 1968 with hisPrehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History, which was subsequently published in 1984.[15] The locations mentioned are all near rivers, suggesting Old Malay may have come to the area along trade networks.[7]
The inscription demonstrates pre-Hispanic literacy and culture and is considered anational treasure. It is currently deposited at theNational Museum of Anthropology inManila.[16]
It is the earliest document that shows the use of mathematics in precolonial Philippine societies. The use of precise measurement for gold demonstrates a standard system of weights and measures, and fixing the precise day within the month in relation to the phases of the moon shows familiarity with rudimentary astronomy.[17]
Prior to the European colonial era,Southeast Asia was under theIndosphere ofgreater India, where numerousIndianized principalities and empires flourished for several centuries in what are now Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, and central and southern Vietnam. The influence of Indian culture in these areas was given the termindianization.[18] French archaeologistGeorge Coedes defined it as the expansion of an organized culture that was framed by the Indian origins of royalty,Hinduism andBuddhism, and theSanskrit dialect.[19] This can be seen in theIndianization of Southeast Asia, thespread of Hinduism, and thetransmission of Buddhism. TheIndian diaspora, both ancient (PIO) and current (NRI), played an ongoing key role as professionals, traders, priests, and warriors.[20][21][22]Indian honorifics also influencedMalay,Thai,Filipino, andIndonesian honorifics.[23]
The pre-colonialnative Filipino script calledBaybayin (ᜊᜌ᜔ᜊᜌᜒᜈ᜔), known inVisayan asbadlit (ᜊᜇ᜔ᜎᜒᜆ᜔), askur-itan/kurditan inIlocano, and askulitan inKapampangan, was itself derived from theBrahmic scripts of India. Its use was recorded in the 16th century byMiguel López de Legazpi.[24]
The inscription shows heavySanskrit andOld Javanese linguistic influences.[5] Among the observations made byAntonio Pigafetta in the 16th-centuryBoxer Codex was thatOld Malay had currency among classical-period Filipinos as alingua franca. TheGolden Tara statue, an ancient artifact discovered inButuan,Agusan del Norte, dates from the same period and strongly suggests the presence ofHindu–Buddhist beliefs prior to the introduction (and subsequentsubscription) toRoman Catholicism andIslam amongFilipinos.[citation needed]
These inscriptions are all from the province ofCentral Java, Indonesia (except for the Kalasan inscription, which is in the adjacentSpecial Region of Yogyakarta).
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription was found in 1987 near the mouth of the Lumbang River nearLaguna de Bay[25] by a man named Ernesto Legisma, who was dredging sand to turn it into concrete. Suspecting that the artifact might have some value, the man sold it to an antique dealer, who, having found no buyers, eventually sold it to theNational Museum of the Philippines, where it was assigned toAlfredo E. Evangelista, head of itsanthropology department.[5][26] The National Museum refers to the artifact as theLaguna Copper Plate.[27]
A year later, Antoon Postma noted that the inscription was similar to the ancient Indonesian script ofKawi. Postma translated the script and found the document dated itself to theSaka year 822, an old Hindu calendar date that corresponds to the year 900.[4] It is from about the same time as the mention of the Philippines in the official ChineseSong dynastyHistory of Song for the year 972.[28]
A copper plate containing an Old Malay inscription [...] deciphered by the Dutch Ethnographer [sic] Antoon Postma, carries a clear date of Saka 822, a Sanskritized reckoning equivalent to A.D. 900.
It involved the reconstruction of an ancient calendar used in the Philippines over a millennium ago using clues provided by Indian and Indonesian calendars from which it was derived. Let me present the answer right at the start. Then I will show how this equivalent date was derived. The Julian equivalent is: Monday, 21 April 900 A.D
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