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Wikipedia’s entry on Borneo, updated through 2025, confirms the etymology of the term váruṇa, referring to the deity Varuna. The page also identifies the Yupa inscriptions of Kutai as the earliest evidence of Hindu influence in Southeast Asia. However, it makes no explicit mention of “Varuna-dvipa.”
Read The History of Dayak (20): Borneo as "Varuna-dvipa" and the Traces of Hindu-Indian Colonialism
That designation appears instead as a scholarly inference, derived from other Sanskrit toponyms such as Karpuradvipa (Camphor Island). Verification through primary sources, particularly inscriptions, reinforces historical accuracy. Wikipedia, in this respect, maintains a neutral and non-speculative stance.
A 2024 article in Bibliopedia references the volume Unveiling the Veil of Hindu-Indian Colony History in Varunadvipa (Kalimantan) (Ramakrishna Math, 2014). This monograph offers an extended treatment of Varuna-dvipa as a Hindu colonial designation for Borneo. It analyzes the Mulavarman inscriptions and advances the argument that the island was so named because of its thousands of rivers, symbolically guarded by Varuna. Web-based verification confirms the book’s legitimacy, albeit within a specialized scholarly niche. Its claims are further supported by archaeological findings at Muara Kaman.
On the basis of this verification, the narrative may be developed into a deeper exploration of how Varuna-dvipa functioned as a symbol of cultural syncretism in Borneo. Such an inquiry necessarily encompasses mythology, politics, economics, art, and the enduring legacy that remains perceptible today. A properly academic approach privileges clarity: complete sentences construct arguments logically while avoiding excessive speculation.
The Mythological and Etymological Origins of Varuna-dvipa
In Hindu mythology, Varuna is among the most ancient deities. He is invoked in the Rigveda, a sacred text dating to approximately 1500 BCE. There, he is portrayed as the sovereign of the oceans and rain, as well as the guardian of moral law. Violations of cosmic order invite punishment in the form of flood or drought. The concept of dvipa in Puranic literature, including the Matsya Purana, describes seven concentric islands encircling Mount Meru. Varuna-dvipa is identified as the outermost, surrounded by a sea of salt. This description bears a striking resemblance to Borneo’s geographical position in the South China Sea.
Such parallels are unlikely to be coincidental. Indian mariners had mastered the monsoon wind system by at least 500 BCE. They may have perceived Borneo as a tangible manifestation of their cosmological geography. The second-century CE geographer Ptolemy, in Geographia, refers to “Barussai” as a camphor-producing island. Scholars such as R. C. Majumdar have associated this reference with Varuna-dvipa.
The etymology itself reflects a complex linguistic evolution. “Váruṇa” may have developed into “Brunei” under Malay phonological influence, where “barunai” connotes a favorable coastal settlement. The 2014 Ramakrishna Math volume contends that this shift reflects Brahmanical colonization, in which Varuna was venerated as protector of maritime trade routes. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (first century CE) describes ports in “Chryse” (Suvarnadvipa), including riverine islands reminiscent of Varuna’s domain, possibly corresponding to the fertile Mahakam basin. By the seventh century, the Chinese monk Yijing (I-Tsing) recorded the presence of Hindu polities in “Fo-shih” (Borneo), where rituals to ensure maritime safety were reportedly performed.
This influence extended into local nomenclature. “Kalimantan” may derive from the Sanskrit kalamanthana, meaning “scorching heat.” “Dayak” refers to indigenous communities who interacted extensively with Indian traders. Archaeological evidence indicates that by the fourth century CE, Hindu communities had settled in Kutai. They constructed modest shrines adorned with reliefs of Varuna holding the pasha, the cosmic noose symbolizing dominion over natural forces.
Further textual traditions, including the Harivamsa Purana, describe Varuna-dvipa as a realm where deities descended to sanctify river waters. Such imagery may function metaphorically, alluding to irrigation systems introduced by Indian agriculturalists to the fertile plains of Borneo.
Within the broader framework of Hindu sacred geography, Varuna-dvipa reflects an expansive cosmological imagination. Eastern islands were conceived as extensions of Jambudvipa. The Brihatkatha of Gunadhya (fifth century CE) describes a “Varuna island” characterized by tiger-filled forests and diamond-bearing rivers, resonating with classical depictions of resource-rich Borneo. A Modern Ghana article further connects this tradition to the Ramayana, in which Hanuman searches for Sita across a “water-encircled island.” Such epic imagery may have shaped early Indian mental maps of the region.
The etymology, therefore, is not merely linguistic; it signifies profound cultural exchange. Varuna’s aquatic symbolism aligns seamlessly with the great rivers of Borneo—the Kapuas and the Mahakam—which functioned as arteries of trade and lifeways for local societies.
Moreover, mythological influence is discernible in localized adaptations of Hindu cosmology. Certain Dayak oral traditions recount water spirits bearing resemblance to Varuna, suggesting processes of syncretism. Sources such as Bibliopedia indicate that Hindu colonization in Varunadvipa entailed not only nomenclature but also the transmission of navigational and astronomical knowledge, grounded in treatises such as the Surya Siddhanta.
These origins affirm that Varuna-dvipa was not an arbitrary appellation. Rather, it emerged from sustained maritime interaction between the Indian subcontinent and the Indonesian archipelago. Those exchanges laid the foundation for the Hindu polities that would subsequently arise in the region.
(More to come)
