Dutch Inscription Stone on Pangkor Island

Dutch Inscription Stone (Sacred Rock or Batu Bersurat) on Pangkor Island, Malaysia.

The Dutch Inscription Stone (Sacred Rock or Batu Bersurat) is located near the sea shore in the village of Teluk Gedung, Pangkor Island, Perak. It is a commemorative inscription carved into a large rock during the 17th and 18th centuries when the Dutch East India Company controlled the waters of Perak. The inscription was carved by Dutch soldiers while they were stationed in Gedung or Kota Belanda, which is not far from the stone's location. The stone features several carvings, including the inscription V.O.C, which stands for Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or "Dutch East India Company,” a lion symbol used by the Dutch East India Company as their main emblem, and other inscriptions such as IK, R.O. BVH, PVL. VM. PP. MA., which are believed to be the initials of the people who carved the stone. The carving is believed to have been done in 1743, as recorded on the stone.

However, according a local oral tradition that suggests the Dutch carved the stone to commemorate a Dutch nobleman's child who went missing while playing near the rock. The Dutch believed that the child had been eaten by a wild animal, depicting a beast (believed to be a tiger) capturing the child. The Dutch Inscription Stone  (Sacred Rock or Batu Bersurat) was officially gazetted on July 26, 1979, under Section 15(2) of the Antiquities Act 1976. The gazette number is P.U.(A)158, covering the Dinding District, Lumut Sub-district, with dimensions of 7.12m x 11.64m. The site's historic designation was later continued under the National Heritage Act 2005 [Act 645].

Video - Dutch Inscription Stone  (Sacred Rock or Batu Bersurat) on Pangkor Island, Malaysia.

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