 The Cherok Tok Kun megalith in Bukit Mertajam, discovered in 1845, contains Pali inscriptions, indicating that an early Hindu-Buddhist political entity in what is now Kedah had established control over parts of Seberang Perai sometime between the 5th and 6th centuries.The entirety of what is now Penang would later form part of the Sultanate of Kedah up until the late 18th century.Meanwhile, Penang Island was first documented by Chinese sailors of the Ming dynasty in the 15th century.