The history of Sunda Kingdom spanned almost a millennium, between 7th to 16th century. It is not sure however, whether the Sunda Kingdom was actually a continuous polity or not, nor whether its rulers belongs to a single continuous lineage of dynasty or not. This is because the scarcity of evidences, historical records and archaeological findings that plausibly connected to this kingdom.
One of the few remnant is the 7th century Bojongmenje Hindu temple near Bandung that was discovered in 2002. It was one of the earliest temple structure in Java, older than temples of Dieng in Central Java, and possibly linked to the Sunda Kingdom.
The earlier period is unclear, and quite speculative at its best. Much owed to only two manuscripts dated from much later period, the Carita Parahyangan and Wangsakerta manuscripts. The history of later period however, after the late 14th century, is quite clear. Especially after the reign of King Wastu Kancana and Jayadewata (Sri Baduga Maharaja). This is contributed mainly to the availability of historical sources, including numbers of foreign reports, especially Portuguese Suma Oriental; several stone inscriptions especially Batutulis; and native primary historical manuscripts of Bujangga Manik and Sanghyang Siksakanda ng Karesian.
Location
Sunda kingdom located in western parts of Java, which today corresponds with the Indonesian provinces of West Java, Jakarta and Banten. West Java was one of the first contact points in Indonesia for Indian traders and their cultural influences. This important geographical fact is not a coincidence, as west Java was an important turning point of maritime trade route connecting India with China via Maritime Silk Road. West Java also Southern Sumatra are located on the edge of southern coasts, a landfall when one vessel sailing from coastal Southern China to the south. From there the voyage turned west towards Sumatra, through Malacca strait and crossing Bay of Bengal to India. As a matter of fact, centuries later, it was here that the Dutch and British first set foot in the archipelago. Previously, the Hindu Tarumanagara kingdom was flourished in the same location, which widely regarded as the predecessor of Sunda Kingdom.
Historiography
Knowledge of the kingdom among Sundanese people has been kept alive through Sundanese Pantun oral tradition, the chant of poetic verses about the golden age of Sunda Pajajaran, and the legend of Prabu Siliwangi, the most popular king of Sunda.
Several stone inscriptions mention the kingdom, such as Juru Pangambat, Jayabupati, Kawali, and Batutulis. Most account and records of the Sunda Kingdom came from manuscripts dated from a later period circa 15th to 16th century, such as Bujangga Manik, Sanghyang Siksakanda ng Karesian, Carita Parahyangan, and Kidung Sunda.
The history of Sunda Kingdom is also recorded in Pustaka Rajyarajya i Bhumi Nusantara, a book within the Wangsakerta manuscript, composed in the late 17th century in Cirebon. However, currently the Wangsakerta manuscript is generally discounted as a valid historical source among historians as it is suspected to be fraudulent.
Local account
The earliest reference to the name "Sunda" being used to identify a kingdom is the Kebon Kopi II inscription dated 854 Saka (932 AD). The inscription was in old Javanese script, but the language used was Old Malay. It translates as follows:
The inscription chandrasengkala (chronogram) written 458 Saka, however some historians suggested that the year of the inscription must be read backward as 854 Saka (932 AD) because the Sunda kingdom could not have existed in 536 AD, in the era of the Kingdom of Tarumanagara (358-669 AD).
Another reference to the kingdom is the Jayabupati inscription which consists of 40 lines written on four pieces of stone found on the Cicatih river bank in Cibadak, Sukabumi. The inscription is written in old Javanese script. The four inscriptions are now stored at the National Museum in Jakarta, under the codes D 73 (Cicatih), D 96, D 97 and D 98. The contents of the inscriptions (according to Pleyte):
The date of the Jayabupati inscription may be 11 October 1030. According to Pustaka Nusantara, Parwa III sarga 1, Sri Jayabupati reigned for 12 years, from 952 to 964 saka (1030 - 1042 AD). The inscription has an East Javanese style in lettering, language, and style, and mentions the current king by name.