The First Two Rulers of Santubong
Santubong is a port where boats put in to replace their palm frond sails, collect water, and repair boats for the next leg in their voyage to China from the west coast of Sumatra. It is located in the western part of Borneo. They could also wait out the monsoon until the winds changed. The first recorded voyage was perhaps Faxian, a Buddhist monk, who was returning to China from Sanfosi in the early 4th century.
We add two new names to the oral history plus the malady of the volcanic eruption. For reference, we continue with the entire list to ~1512.
This essay includes oral history, folklore, and other sources . Written history was not available to the Malay people of Borneo until the early 1800s. However, because it is not written down, only passed orally from one generation to the next, it should not be discounted. Many scholars (?) say oral history can be changed from one generation to the next, but in my 15 years of research, I have found this is not true. The story remains the same through at least four generations. I have been studying in the Kampongs across the river from Kuching. I feel sorry for those who discount oral history and refuse to include it in their writings. I feel they are doing quite a disservice to the people of Borneo by at least not including it in their missives. They can always say this is oral history and allow the reader to make up his or her mind.
There is considerable debate on whether Brunei existed as a polity during the time period between 400 A.D. and 900 A.D. We will follow Christie and her/his belief that Santubong, rather than Brunei, was the site of most of these actions. See references below.
We present two new additions to the beginning of the Santubong lineage. We will use the term “sagenda” as a title for the simple reason that it seems to be a Borneo term
Sagenda Pinka Kaundiya~517 A.D.(?) to ~536 A.D.(?)
King Pinka came from the Kaundiya family, a Brahmin clan in India. Kaundiya are descendants of the sage Kaundiya. It is thought this clan brought Indian influence to Borneo, and they married into local tribes.
Kaundiya was the name of the Brahmin Prince of India. He married Queen Liuye, who lived in Cambodia. The Kaundiya name persisted along the Borneo Coast.
From the first to the sixth century A.D., Funan, the earliest known kingdom in Cambodia and OC Eco in what is now Viet Nam, was a powerful trading port. According to local legend, the Kingdom was founded by an Indian Brahmin named Kaundinya. (In Chinese texts, he is called Hun-Tien t’ien)
During the 5th and 6th centuries, Funan was an important center of Buddhist learning. According to Chinese history, The King of Funan, Kaundiya Jayavarman, sent to the Chinese court in 484 an Indian Buddhist Monk, Nagasena, taking ivory stupas with him.
Sagenda Pinka ruled in the early to mid-500s AD. somewhere along the Borneo coast, probably the port of Santubong. Pinka (Kaundiya) emerges during the 16th year of Emperor Wu of Liang.(517 AD). The region he ruled was Poli.
Sagenda Pinka established diplomatic relations with the Liang Court. The Liang court was established in 502 and lasted until 557. Emperor Wu was the emperor of interest was known for promoting Buddhism, international trade, and compiling historical works. His major historical work was Liang Shu.
In 518, Sagenda Pinka sent a trade emissary to China. In 523, he brought as tribute white cockatoos, glass utensils, cotton cloth, cups made of shells and medications. White cockatoos are not native to Borneo. They would have to be imported from other Indonesian Islands. However, this does indicate that trading was prevalent among the islanders.
The Volcanic Eruption
A volcanic eruption struck the world in 536 A.D. Three different places have been thought to be the source of the volcano. These include Ilopango in El Salvador, Rabaul in New Guinea and Krakatoa in Indonesia. All three of these lie on or close to the equator. According to ice cores, another eruption occurred in 540 A.D. However, its location is unknown. Tree ring data show a marked cooling of the earth’s temperature from 536-550 A.D.
These eruptions (s) decimated the world’s crops, lowered temperatures, and raised havoc throughout China and Southeast Asia as well as elsewhere. Trade probably came to a halt, and many thousands, if not millions, of people were killed.
Sagenda Hu La Na Po Chari Ya ka
The family name Chari Ya Ka appears during the Sui (589-618) and Tang Dynasties. (618-906) Many years after the volcanic eruption, he is thought to be the ruler of Santubong. The name is either a Chinese name or an attempt at writing a Santubong name. However, this account refers to Brunei, where the kingdom had not yet been established, and navigating into Brunei would have been very difficult. More than likely, the name comes from Santubong. This is the earliest known documentation of trade within China.
The Rulers of Santubong are as follows:
The term “Sagenda” is unknown. The term “Indrahara” seems to be an honorific royal title used in early western Borneo. The dates are obviously an estimate.
Sagenda Pinka Kaundiya (~517 to ~536)
Volcanic Eruption and Aftermath (536)
Sagenda Hu La Na Poi Chari Ka (~589-~925)
Hyang Gi (~925-~974) Indrahara Jang Sogi
Indra Siak (~974-~1011) Indrahara Siak
Sagenda Galam(~1011-~1053) Indrahara Indra Galem
Sagenda Sarik(~1053~1096) Indrahara Sarik
Sagenda Leleng(~1096-~1131) Indrahara Ragga
Sagenda Surik (~1131-~1173) Indrahara Uteh
Sagenda Pratima (~1173~1211) Indrahara Simma
Sagenda Siga(~1211-~1242) Indahara Sigat
Sagenda Junjunan (~1242-~1277) Indrahara Junjun
Sagenda Manikam(~1277-~1303) Indrahara Siagasangsana
Pangiran Tuanku Mahkuta(~1303-~1332) Indrahara Lewang
Raja Leok (~1332-~1376) Indrahara Daha
Indranajakkiana(~1376-~1408) Pangiran Tuanku Maharajah Kanna
The First Rajah Tengah (~1408-~1447) Indrahara Rajian Rajian
The Second Rajah Tengah (~1462-~1490) Ismail Hasanuddin; Indrahara Ngemas
Sultan Abdul Jalil Muhammed al Hafiz Zussalam(~1490-~1512)
Brunei attacks and destroys Santubong ~1512
The flight of Tuanku Ibrahim to Pulu Lakier, an island behind Santubong
An oral history of the details of the rulers is available. Just ask for a free e-copy of my book. Sa********@***il.com
References
Christie, Jan On Po’Ni: The Santubong States of Sarawak The Sarawak Museum Journal 55, December 1985
Christie, Jan State Formation in Early Southeast Asia in Bijdraen tot de Taal, Land en Volken kunde 151, 1995 no. 2.)
Goonatalike, Hema Sri Lanka-Cambodia Relations with special reference to the period 14th to 20th Centuries in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, new series, vol 48 Special Number: Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Upasampadā in Sri Lanka (2003), pp. 191-211 (21 pages)
The above information was compiled by Tom McLaughlin for BorneoHistory.net