# Purnavarman Rules Tarumanagara in West Java (c. 450 CE)

URL: https://allhistories.com/hinduism/timeline/450-purnavarman-rules-tarumanagara-in-west-java
Location: Bogor and Jakarta, West Java, Indonesia
Themes: Politics

King Purnavarman of Tarumanagara in West Java leaves rock inscriptions in Sanskrit, such as Ciaruteun and Tugu, in the mid-5th century. They show his footprints compared to Vishnu's footprints, and record the digging of the Chandrabhaga canal and the gift of cows to Brahmins. Chinese pilgrim records place the kingdom around Jakarta and Bogor, and a Brahmin population is implied. Dates and the extent of his domain are estimated and debated.

## Why it matters
These inscriptions show Vaishnava royal ideology in Java and the arrival of Hindu kingship in the island, centuries before Borobudur and Prambanan.

Paramount Power at the Time: [Kumaragupta I](https://allhistories.com/hinduism/rulers/kumaragupta-i)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Tarumanagara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarumanagara)
- [Wikipedia — Ciaruteun inscription](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciaruteun_inscription)
- [Wikipedia — Tugu inscription](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tugu_inscription)