Strong Evidence of the 9th Century Science Network, a Replica of the Nalanda Inscription Arrives in Muarajambi

JAKARTA - The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, received a replica of the Nalanda Copper Plate Inscription from the Government of India at the Muarajambi Museum, the National Cultural Heritage Area (KCBN) Muarajambi, Thursday (18/12). This handover strengthens Muarajambi's position as an important node of the world's learning and civilization network since the 9th century.

The replica of the inscription was previously handed over by the Government of India to Indonesia on the sidelines of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee Meeting in New Delhi, December 9, 2025. The process is the result of intensive cultural diplomacy, including bilateral meetings at the ministerial level during President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to India, January 2025.

Fadli Zon emphasized that the inscription directly links Muarajambi with Nalanda, Sriwijaya, the Syailendra Dynasty, and the Pala Dynasty. "This is not just an artifact. This is concrete evidence that Muarajambi is the node of an international network of science, religion, and cultural diplomacy," he said.

He called the Muarajambi KCBN - covering an area of almost 4,000 hectares with more than 90 temple buildings - the largest cultural reserve in Southeast Asia that needs to be managed as a cultural ecosystem. The focus is not only on physical restoration, but also on strengthening museums, research, and community involvement. The government, he said, is speeding up the arrangement of the Muarajambi Museum, including the preparation of the exhibition storyline to become a center for interpreting the history intact.

Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation, Endah T. D. Retnoastuti, explained that the 9th century Nalanda Inscription is an important diplomatic document that records the relationship between Srivijaya and the Pala Dynasty. This momentum is also in line with the strengthening of Muarajambi's position in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List which was updated in 2025.

The Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Shri Sandeep Chakravorty, assessed the Nalanda-Muarajambi relationship as equivalent to the network of modern science centers. The inscription dated 860 AD noted King Devapaladeva's support for King Balaputradewa's request for the maintenance of the stupa and the monks of Nusantara in Nalanda, as well as being an important reference for the Syailendra Dynasty, the builders of Borobudur Temple.