Cherok Tokun Relics are ancient inscriptions on a rock in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Also called Batu Bersurat Cherok Tokun, it is the only ancient megalith in Penang, Malaysia, as recognised by the Malaysian Department of Museum and Antiquities. The granite megalith is located at the foot of Bukit Mertajam, within the compound of the St Anne Church. To reach it, walk across the driveway from the new St Anne Church.
The Cherok Tokun Ancient Inscriptions were first documented by Colonel James Low, a British army officer, in 1845. In his log, Low recorded his disappointment of not finding a more spectacular ruin, expecting to find an ancient temple ruin. He documented what he made out to be "a group of seven inscriptions". The inscriptions were believed to be in pre-Pallava script and written in Sanskrit. They were attributed to the ancient Kingdom of Kadaaram, which flourished in northern Malaysia in the 5th to 6th centuries. However, according to J Laidlay, who translated the text in 1848, the inscription was Pali, not Sanskrit.
The Museum and Antiquities Department built a shed over the megalith in 1973. It was the first and only ancient relic in Penang to be gazetted. By that time, the megalith was already covered with graffiti added by latter-day visitors, including an inscription by Colonel Low himself.
Bibliography The Malay Peninsula: Crossroads of the Maritime Silk Road (100BC-1300AD) by Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h
Let us keep you updated on everything related to Penang. Just copy and paste our link to your website or blog.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for visiting Penang Travel Tips, and thank you for the opportunity to explore the world, to document, to photograph, and to share the travel information with you. My name is Tim, I'm the writer of this website, and I want to tell you how grateful I am for your visit. This is one of over a dozen websites that I write - you can click my thumbnail photo above to randomly visit any one of them. All my photos are available for commercial printing - find out the photo usage rights here. If you wish to share you photos on this website, upload them to www.panoramio.com and send the URL to me for consideration. And, if you'd like to correspond with me, send your mails to my address as shown below:
Here's the latest updates from my websites ...
SBI
Ever want to build your own website? Do it the right way by using
Site Build It (SBI). It has all the tools and lessons necessary to help you create a successful website. Once you have built an SBI website, you can also use it to recommend SBI to others with an SBI Affiliate account. What I like most about SBI is that it gives you a whole month to try it out for free, and if you don't like it after a full month, you can seek a full refund. That way, you can see for yourself how SBI can really help you create a great website.
