Kutai

Kutai is a historical region in what is now known as East Kalimantan, Indonesia on the island of Borneo and is also the name of the native ethnic group of the region (known as Urang Kutai or "the Kutai people"), numbering around 300,000 who have their own language known as the Kutainese language which accompanies their own rich history. Today, the name is preserved in the names of three regencies in East Kalimantan province which are the Kutai Kartanegara Regency, the West Kutai Regency and the East Kutai Regency with the major river flowing in the heart of the region known as the Mahakam River. Kutai is known to be the place of the first and oldest Hindu kingdom to exist in East Indies Archipelago, the Kutai Martadipura Kingdom which was later succeeded by the Muslim Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate. Historically, there have been two kingdoms which ruled in the region of Kutai which are: Kutai Martadipura Kingdom (399–1635), a Hindu kingdom Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate (1300–1844), a Muslim kingdom id: Kerajaan Kutai Martapura The Kutai Martadipura Kingdom (locally known as Kerajaan Kutai Martadipura) is a 4th-century or perhaps much earlier Hindu kingdom located in the Kutai area, East Kalimantan. Its capital is believed to be the current Muara Kaman district located in Kutai Kartanegara Regency and is one of, if not the earliest ancient kingdom(s) in Indonesian history. Muara Kaman district which is currently one of the many districts in Kutai Kartanegara regency is proven to be the place where the capital of the kingdom once stood, it is proven by an ancient remnant of a megalith stone known as Lesong Batu, believed to have been used to make the Yupa inscriptions during the 4th century AD. The seven stone pillars, or yūpa (“sacrificial posts”), have been found in Kutai, Kaman Estuary, near the Mahakam River. The plinths bear an inscription in the Pallava script of India reading "A gift to the Brahmin priests" in Sanskrit. The style of the script has been dated to the last half the 4th century.