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SHRI SAI LEELA – APRIL 1986Borneo in the Indonesian archipelago provides some of the earliestevidence of Indanization in this region. Seven Pillar (Yupa)inscriptions, going back to 400 A.D. were brought to light which giveus an idea of this process. Four of these inscriptions were publishedby Vogel. They refer to a king called Mulavarman and record certaingifts and the performance of sacrificesfYac/nyasj by that king. Theinscriptions tell us that this Mulavarman was the son of Asavarmanand grandson of Kudugna. Chhabra suggests that Kudunga waspossibly a merchant-adventurer from South India. These Yupas orpillars, to commemorate the meritorious actions of king Mulavarmanin performing sacrifices and in bestowing gifts, were set up byBrahmans who had come to Kotei from many countries for theoccasion. We can well imagine a concourse of learned Brahmans, atthe capital of Mulavarman, who had come thither from Kambuja andChampa, from Pagan and Siam, from Bali and Java and mostimportantly of all, from India. Images of Ganesha, Shiva and otherHindu deities in other parts of the island have also been brought tolight along with a bronze Buddha of Gupta style, giving furtherevidence of culture contacts between India and Borneo in ancienttimes. The name Borneo itself, according to some scholars, is derivedfrom Barhi-na-dvipa of the Vayu Purana or according to others, fromPurna-dvipa of Kautiliya providing proof that the early immigrants intoBorneo were from India.From Borneo we go on to Celebes another meeting place of IndianBuddhism outside India. Hinduism was well received in Celebes."The best informed natives call themselves descendants of Hindus,and the names of their divinities Batara Guru (Bharata Buru-Agastya)30WWW.SAILEELAS.ORG