Prasasti Blanjong

In a small temple compound in Blanjong, at the southern end of Sanur, stands Bali’s oldest dated inscription. The pillar is a squat column of andesite with a rounded cap, carved with text around its sides. It was found in 1932 and remains on the same spot, kept under a protective enclosure and often wrapped in cloth as a sacred object, so the writing itself is rarely visible.

The inscription is dated to 914 CE and names a king, Sri Kesari Warmadewa, regarded as the first ruler of Bali’s Warmadewa dynasty. It is written in two languages and two scripts: Old Balinese in an early Nagari-style script, and Sanskrit in the Kawi script used across Java and Bali. The text is badly worn, but scholars read it as a record of the king’s military campaigns, and it contains one of the earliest known names for the island itself, Walidwipa.

There is not much to see beyond the pillar and its shrine, but it is a short detour from the beach path in south Sanur for anyone interested in Bali’s early history. Dress as for any temple visit, with a sarong and sash.