Mulavarman

The name Shri Mū-la-va-rmma-ṇaḥ Rā-jñaḥ "The Lord, Prince Mulavarman" in a yupa inscription in pallawa script from Kutai. 4th-5th century CE. In other inscriptions, Mulavarman is also called "Lord of Kings".

Sri Mulavarman Nala Deva (spelled Mulawarman in Indonesian) was the king of the Kutai Martadipura Kingdom, located in eastern Borneo around the year 400CE. What little is known of him comes from the seven yūpa inscriptions found at a sanctuary in Kutai, East Kalimantan. He is known to have been generous to brahmins through the giving of gifts, including thousands of cattle and large amounts of gold.

Reign He was the grandson of Kudungga, and the son of Asvavarman, according to one of his inscriptions. The sanctuary bears the name of the founder of the dynasty, Vaprakesvara.

The inscriptions of Mulavarman in Brahmi script on "yūpa" sacrificial posts are the earliest known evidence of Indian influence in the Malay World, in the fourth century CE, long before the region was Indianized. The inscriptions of Mulavarman were followed about fifty years later by the inscriptions of another king, Purnavarman, in West Java.

Inscriptions

The inscriptions of Mulavarman in Brahmi script were found on "yūpa" sacrificial posts.