Lobu Tua Inscription

The Lobu Tua inscription was discovered in Barus, North Sumatra, a small town in the coast of the Indian Ocean, well-known since the second century as the producer of camphor. This commodity pushed Barus to grow, and eventually Barus became a part of the regional trade network. Traders came from all over; the Arabs, the Indians, the Chinese, and the Tamil. One Tamil trade guild built a settlement in Barus, and commissioned the Lobu Tua inscription in around the eleventh century. The inscription stated a tax regulation concerning the Tamil traders. Unlike most inscriptions discovered in Indonesia, the Lobu Tua inscription was written in the Tamil language, using the Tamil alphabet.

This hexagonal pole, quite irregular in shape, has been damaged and shattered into several pieces. It was said that the inscription was broken by a later ruler of Barus.