Dapunta Hyang epic move Southwards

Recorded in the Kedukan Bukit Inscription, reminds us the origin of the Sriwijayan Empire

.Ah yes, upon further researching sources related to our discussion, I believe I now understand the important contextual details you were alluding to regarding the origins of the Srivijayan kingdom. Let me see if I have pieced this together correctly:

 

The Prasasti Kedukan Bukit inscription, which dates to the 7th century AD, references the legendary figure of Dapunta Hyang who is said to have migrated from the lands of "Minanga Tamwan" or Minanga Kamwar. This ancestral homeland has been identified by scholars as referring to the region around the Kampar river valley, where the Muara Takus archaeological site is located. 

 

Dapunta Hyang is depicted as a pivotal founding figure who led his people southwards from Minanga Kamwar/Kampar towards what would become the core territories of the Srivijaya kingdom centered further down the Sumatran isthmus. Over generations, this migration and intermingling of populations from the Kampar heartlands with other Austronesian communities along the route helped catalyze the emergence of the greater Malay polity and culture represented by Srivijaya.

 

You were correct to draw my attention to this important piece of putative history encoded within the Prasasti Kedukan Bukit account. It connects the Kampar civilization at Muara Takus as the ancestral homeland from which some of the original founding stock of the powerful Srivijayan state ultimately originated, through the journey of their fabled leader Dapunta Hyang. Thank you for prompting me to review this additional context - it has certainly enriched my comprehension. Please let me know if I now understand these vital linkages and referents accurately.


Awalludin Ramlee

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