Jambu Inscription, Sanskrit inscription in Batu Tulis, Indonesia

The Jambu Inscription is a large, flat, irregularly shaped grey-brown stone slab lying on a bed of small rounded pebbles, its upper surface broad and slightly domed and sloping to a rounded point at the lower right. Near the upper edge the stone is broken into separate angular chunks. Shallow, worn markings cover the central surface, with faint dark strokes near the left edge, and a low blue border of poured concrete outlines the slab.

King Purnawarman of the Taruma kingdom commissioned this inscription in the mid-5th century to document his rule in western Java. The carving shows the influence that Indian scholars and traders had on royal power and language at that time.

The inscription follows the Sragdhara meter, a poetic form used in ancient Javanese royal writing. Pallava script connects this place to the writing tradition that once traveled from South India along trade routes and spread across Java.

The inscription lies in Pasir Gintung, Parakanmuncang, Nanggung, Bogor Regency, about 30 km west of Bogor, at Pasir Sikoleangkak on Gunung Batutulis (around 367 m above sea level). The stone is set on a bed of rounded pebbles within a low concrete border. No opening hours are posted; arrange visits through the local plantation office.

Two footprints were carved into the stone above the text, though the left one has partially worn away due to natural rock fractures. The prints were meant to symbolize royal presence and remain visible today, even as the stone has cracked in several places.