Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.s1.97

v2.c13.s1.97

In the first place, was Pūrṇavarman a really historical person? The doubt was first expressed by Kern, who regarded Pūrṇavarman as “an ancient hero and sage of Indian origin, whose worship had been introduced in Western Java.” This view, which is accepted by others,¹ is difficult to understand. Perhaps the figures of his foot-prints, and those of his elephants, too, inclined Kern to the above view. But the inscription No. 4, which definitely states that a canal was dug by him in the twenty-second year of his reign, with full details about the time when it was commenced and finished, cannot possibly leave any doubt that he was an historical person. The meaning of his foot-print is not quite clear. Normally, it should be regarded as an object of worship, but then the same view will have to be extended to the foot-print of the king’s elephant. In other words, we have to presume that both the king and his elephant came to be regarded as divine. There is nothing, however, in the inscriptions themselves to indicate that the foot-prints were objects of worship. On the other hand, we must remember that about the time when Pūrṇavarman lived, the theory of a divine origin of kings had been firmly established in India², and no surprise need be felt that it was carried to its logical conclusion in the Hindu-ized Java³.