Purnawarman or Purnavarman is the 5th centuryking ofTarumanagara, a HinduIndianized kingdom, located in modern-day West Java, Jakarta and Banten provinces, Indonesia. Purnawarman reigned circa 395 – 434 CE, and during his reign he created several stone inscriptions. According to these inscriptions he embarked on hydraulic project and also identified himself to Vishnu, which indicates him and his kingdom were adhering Vishnuite faith. In 397, King Purnawarman established a new capital city for the kingdom, located somewhere near present-day Tugu or Bekasi. His name in Sanskrit means "perfect shield" or "complete protector". Later series of Tarumanagaran kings are only known from their names, all bears the name warman which suggests that all of them belongs in the same dynasty.
Historiography
Purnawarman is the most well known ruler among Tarumanagaran kings, mostly because he extensively created numbers of stone inscriptions, proclaiming his deeds and feats. He left seven memorial stones with inscriptions bearing his name spread across today Jakarta, Banten and West Java provinces. These seven inscriptions areː
The tugu inscription, which is a few years older than the Parasasti Ciaruteun, is considered the oldest of all the inscriptions. There are more stones with inscriptions from the time of king Purnawarman, some close to Bogor city. They are Muara Cianten, Prasasti Pasir Awi, Cidanghiang, and Jambu inscriptions. Cidanghiang inscription sits further to the west at Lebak in the Pandeglang area, consisting of two lines, proclaiming Purnawarman as the example for rulersaround the world. Jambu inscription, with a two-line inscription in Pallava and Sanskrit, bears the large footprints of the king. The inscription translates as: The Wangsakerta manuscript, parwa II sarga 3 notes that under the reign of King Purnawarman, Tarumanagara held control over 48 small kingdoms with area stretching from Salakanagara or Rajatapura to Purwalingga. Traditionally Cipamali river was the border between Sunda and Java.
