According to the Wanua Tengah III inscription, Balitung came to power on 10 May 898. In the Kubu-Kubu inscription (905), Daksha is referred to as the king's companion (
rowang haji), a very rare status that may indicate some degree of parity. This dualism reflects the exceptionally powerful position of Dakṣa throughout Balitung's reign, though the reason for his prominence is not well understood. The oldest known inscription issued in Balitung's reign is the stele of Telahap (issued on 11 March 899). However, this inscription has only been read in part and is no longer extant; it therefore sheds little light on Balitung's reign. On 30 March 900, Balitung ordered the completion of waterworks and the irrigation of rice fields at the sanctuary of Tiga Ron ('Three Leaves'), which can be identified with present-day
Kedulan temple. An extensive narrative passage in the opening to the Tiga Ron inscription describes how Balitung noticed the poor condition of the temple and its fountain while he was trapping pigeons in the area. Having sought information on the matter from Śivāstra, the official (
sang pamegat) of Tiruan, he learned that the original construction dated back to the reign of
Lokapala, but it had never been properly completed. In 869, a noblewoman called Manoharī had made provisions for the same dam, as shown in the Pananggaran and Sumundul inscriptions also discovered at the
Kedulan site; this project remained unfinished after three decades. Balitung therefore ordered the waterworks be properly completed, to ensure that rice fields belonging to the lord of the sanctuary were sufficiently irrigated. This episode demonstrates Balitung's concern for the upkeep of holy sanctuaries and the importance of agrarian water management, as well as the infrastructural challenges faced by ancient Javanese society. The oldest of Balitung's east Javanese inscriptions is Watukura (27 July 902), which exists only in a
Majapahit-era copy. This is the oldest inscription that mentions the existence of the title
lord of Kanuruhan, which may be connected to the toponym
Kanjuruhan in the
Malang area. The Telang plates (11 January 904) mention the development of a complex named Paparahuan, led by Rakai Welar Mpu Sudarsana, located on the verge of the Bengawan Solo river. Balitung freed the villages in Paparahuan and its surroundings from tax, and forbade the local inhabitants to collect payment from people who crossed the river. On 12 November 904, Balitung made the far-reaching decision that "all Buddhist monasteries (
vihāra) in Java be independent and cease to be taxed". This demonstrates the king's support of Buddhist institutions, despite indications that he was personally oriented towards Śaivism. This decision may have formed the legal basis for Balitung's earlier grant to the foundation of Dalinan (5 March 904), as well as later grants to the monasteries of Hujung Galuh (4 May 907) and Pikatan (8 September 908). The Poh inscription (17 July 905) states that the village of Poh was freed from tax in return for taking care of the holy
caitya which served as a funerary monument for 'the deity who lies at Pastika' (
bhaṭāra lumah iṅ Pastika). The identity of this deceased figure is unclear, though it is known from the Wintang Mas II inscription that he was a former king (
śrī mahārāja). A notable figure involved in the issuing of the Poh inscription was Balitung's grandmother Tammer; in the list of attendees she precedes Daksha and is second only to the king himself. The
Kubu-Kubu inscription (17 October 905) describes a grant given by Balitung to the lords (
rakryān) of Hujung and of Majawuntan in form of a village, Kubu-Kubu, as they both conquered the Bantan area under the instructions of Daksha. Damais (1952) suggested that Bantan might be an alternative form of the name
Bali, though this interpretation was questioned by Boechari (1976). The charter of Mantyasih (11 April 907) describes a grant to five junior '''' because they kept the peace during Balitung's wedding. This inscription gives a selective list of deified former kings of Mataram, who are ritually invoked during the demarcation ceremony as witnesses and guarantors. These kings are addressed as "ye ancestors of old at Medang [and] at Poh Pitu" (
kamu, ra hyaṅta rumuhun ri mḍaṅ, ri poḥ pitu). While the grammar of this phrase is somewhat ambiguous, a likely explanation is that Medang and Poh Pitu refer to two separate locations where the pre-Balitung kings had their palaces (cf. the mentions of Medang in connection with Mamrati in the
Shivagrha inscription). On 19 October 907, Balitung granted the village of Rukam to his grandmother, the lady of Sanjiwana, as compensation for property she had lost due to a volcanic eruption (
guntur). == The end of an era ==