Kudungga

Kudungga is the founder of the kingdom Kutai Martadipura with the title of Maharaja Kudungga Anumerta Devavarman, who ruled around the year 350 AD or 4th century AD. Kutai Martadipura led by Kudungga was not yet serves as a king, but as a community leader or chieftain. Kutai Martadipura during Kudungga rule do not have a regular and systematical system of governance. In contrary, the latest claim is said that Maharaja Kudungga is possibly a king from ancient kingdom Bakulapura in Tebalrung (now Tebalai Indah, Muara Kaman), and Asvavarman which his son-in-law rather his son, then become the first king of Kutai Martadipura.

The discovery of the most reliable source stating that Kutai Martadipura is the oldest kingdom in the nusantara archipelago is yupa. Seven pieces of yupa were found in Muara Kaman. According to the results of a study conducted by J.G. de Casparis (1949), yupa-yupa in Muara Kaman which allegedly a Kutai Martadipura civilization heritage were found successively in 1879 and 1940.

In yupa-yupa, found there are inscriptions using Pallawa script in Sanskrit language. Letters engraved on yupa thought to have come from the end of the 4th century or early 5th century AD. All the monument stone was issued at the command of a leader named Maharaja Mulavarman Naladewa. Mulavarman allegedly are Indianize name of indigenous people because the name of his grandfather, namely Kudungga (there is also a mention kudunga or kundungga) is the original name of the indigenous Indonesian. Kudungga is what is believed to be the forerunner of the first leader of the kingdom of Kutai Martadipura, while Mulavarman is the successor Asvavarman (son of Kudungga) which brings the kingdom of Kutai Martadipura at the glory.

R.M. Ng. Poerbatjaraka (1952) interpret the circuit Pallava inscriptions in Sanskrit recorded on yupa about the genealogy of the kings who had ruled in the early days of the kingdom of Kutai Martadipura in translation:

śrīmatah śrī-narendrasya; kuṇḍuṅgasya mahātmanaḥ; putro śvavarmmo vikhyātah; vaṅśakarttā yathāṅśumān; tasya putrā mahātmānaḥ; trayas traya ivāgnayaḥ; teṣān trayāṇām pravaraḥ; tapo-bala-damānvitaḥ; śrī mūlavarmmā rājendro; yaṣṭvā bahusuvarṇnakam; tasya yajñasya yūpo ‘yam; dvijendrais samprakalpitaḥ.

Translation:

Mahārāja (emperor) Kundungga, most noble, has a famous son, his name Aśwawarmman, who like Angśuman (the Sun God) cultivates a very noble family. The Aśwawarmman has three sons, like (sacred) fire. The prominent of the three sons is the Mūlawarmman, a king of good civil, strong and might. The Mūlawarmman held kenduri (salvation ceremony) with gold-very-much. For the memorial kenduri (salvation ceremony) that stone pillar was founded by the brahmanas.

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