(Redirected from Majapahit)
The 'Majapahit Empire' was an
Indianized kingdom based in eastern
Java from
1293 to around
1500. Its greatest ruler was
Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from
1350 to
1389 marked the empire's peak when it dominated other kingdoms in the southern
Malay Peninsula,
Borneo,
Sumatra,
Bali, and the
Philippines.
The Majapahit empire was the last of the major
Hindu empires of the
Malay archipelago and is considered one of the greatest states in Indonesian history.
Its influence extended to states on
Sumatra, the
Malay Peninsula,
Kalimantan and eastern Indonesia.
Historiography
Little physical evidence of Majapahit remains,
[1] and its detailed history is not very clear.
[2] The main sources that are used by historians are: the ''
Pararaton'' ('Book of Kings') written in
Kawi language and ''
Nagarakertagama'' in
Old Javanese.
[3] ''Pararaton'' is mostly about
Ken Arok (the founder of
Singhasari) but includes a number of shorter narrative fragments about the formation of Majapahit. ''Nagarakertagama'', on the other hand, is an old
Javanese epic poem written during the Majapahit golden age under the reign of
Hayam Wuruk after which events are not so clear.
In addition, there are some inscriptions in Old Javanese and Chinese records.
The accuracy of all of the Javanese sources is in dispute. There is no doubt that they incorporate some non-historical, mythological elements, and some scholars such as C. C. Berg consider the entire corpus to be not a record of the past, but a supernatural means by which the future can be determined.
[4] However, most scholars do not accept this view, as the basic outline corresponds with Chinese records that could not share this intention. The list of rulers and the nature of the state, in particular, seem rather certain.
History
Formation
After defeating
Srivijaya in Sumatera in 1290, Singhasari became the most powerful kingdom in the area.
Kublai Khan, the ruler of the Chinese
Yuan Dynasty, challenged Singhasari by sending emissaries demanding tribute.
Kertanegara, the last ruler of Singhasari, refused to pay the tribute. In
1293, Kublai Khan sent a massive expedition of 1,000 ships to Java.
By that time,
Jayakatwang, the ''Adipati'' (Duke) of
Kediri, a vassal state of Singhasari, had usurped and killed Kertanagara. After being pardoned by Jayakatwang with the aid of Madura's regent, Arya Wiraraja;
Raden Wijaya, Kertanegara's son-in-law, was given the land of
Tarik when he opened the vast timberland and built a new village. When Mongolian Yuan army sent by Kublai Khan arrived, Wijaya allied himself with the army to fight against Jayakatwang. Once Jayakatwang was destroyed, Raden Wijaya forced his allies to withdraw from Java by launching a surprise attack.
[5] Yuan's army had to withdraw in confusion as they were in hostile territory. It was also their last chance to catch the
monsoon winds home; otherwise, they would have had to wait for another six months on a hostile island.
In AD 1293,
Raden Wijaya founded a stronghold. The capital was named Majapahit, from ''
maja'' (a fruit name) and ''pahit'' (or bitter). His formal name was
Kerjarajasa Jayawarddhana. The new kingdom faced challenges. Some of Kertarajasa's most trusted men, including
Ranggalawe,
Sora, and
Nambi rebelled against him, though unsuccessfully. It was suspected that the ''mahapati'' (equal with prime minister)
Halayudha set the conspiracy to overthrow all of the king's opponents, to gain the highest position in the government. However, after following the death of the last rebel
Kuti, Halayudha was captured and jailed for his tricks, and then sentenced to death.
[5] Wijaya himself died in AD 1309.
Wijaya's son and successor,
Jayanegara was notorious for immorality. One of his sinful acts was taking his own step-sisters as wives. He was entitled ''Kala Gemet'', or "weak villain". In AD 1328, Jayanegara was murdered by his doctor. His stepmother, Rajapatni, was supposed to replace him, but Rajapatni retired from court to become a
bhiksuni (a female
Buddhist monk) in a
monastery. Rajapatni appointed her daughter,
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, as the queen of Majapahit under Rajapatni's auspices. During Tribhuwana’s rule, the Majapahit kingdom grew much larger and became famous in the area. Tribhuwana ruled Majapahit until the death of her mother in AD 1350. She was succeeded by her son,
Hayam Wuruk.
Golden age
Hayam Wuruk, also known as Rajasanagara, ruled Majapahit in AD 1350–1389. During his period, Majapahit attained its peak with the help of his prime minister,
Gajah Mada. Under Gajah Mada's command (AD 1313–1364), Majapahit conquered more territories. In 1377, a few years after Gajah Mada's death, Majapahit sent a punitive naval attack against
Palembang,
[7] contributing to the end of the
Srivijayan kingdom. Gajah Mada's other renowned general was
Adityawarman, known for his conquest in
Minangkabau.
The nature of the Majapahit empire and its extent is subject to debate. It may have had limited or entirely notional influence over some of the
tributary states in included Sumatra, the
Malay Peninsula,
Kalimantan and eastern Indonesia over which of authority was claimed in the ''Nagarakertagama''.
[8] Geographical and economic constraints suggest that rather than a regular centralised authority, the outer states were most likely to have been connected mainly by trade connections, which was probably a royal monopoly.
It also claimed relationships with
Champa,
Cambodia,
Siam, southern
Burma, and
Vietnam, and even sent missions to
China.
Although the Majapahit rulers extended their power over other islands and destroyed neighboring kingdoms, their focus seems to have been on controlling and gaining a larger share of the commercial trade that passed through the archipelago. About the time Majapahit was founded,
Muslim traders and
proselytizers began entering the area.
Decline
Following Hayam Wuruk's death AD 1389, Majapahit power entered a period of decline with conflict over succession. Hayam Wuruk was succeeded by the crown princess Kusumawardhani, who married a relative, Prince
Wikramawardhana. Hayam Wuruk also had a son from his previous marriage, crown prince
Wirabhumi, who also claimed the throne. A civil war, called
Paregreg, is thought to have occurred from 1405 to 1406,
of which Wikramawardhana was victorious and Wirabhumi was caught and decapitated. Wikramawardhana ruled to 1426 AD and was succeeded by his daughter
Suhita, who ruled from 1426 to 1447 AD. She was the second child of Wikramawarddhana by a concubine who was the daughter of Wirabhumi.
In 1447, Suhita died and was succeeded by
Kertawijaya, her brother. He ruled until 1451 AD. After Kertawijaya died,
Bhre Pamotan became a king with formal name Rajasawardhana and ruled at Kahuripan. He died in 1453 AD. A three year kingless period was possibly the result of a succession crisis.
Girisawardhana, son of Kertawijaya, came to power 1456. He died in 1466 AD and was succeeded by Singhawikramawardhana. In 1468 AD Prince Kertabhumi rebelled against Singhawikramawardhana promoting himself king of Majapahit.
Singhawikramawardhana moved the Kingdom’s capital to Daha and continued his rule until he was succeeded by his son
Ranawijaya in 1474 AD. In 1478 AD he defeated Kertabhumi and reunited Majapahit as one Kingdom. Ranawijaya ruled from 1474 AD to 1519 AD with the formal name Girindrawardhana. Nevertheless, Majapahit's power had declined through these family conflicts and the growing power of the north-coastal kingdoms in Java.
Majapahit found itself unable to control the rising power of the
Sultanate of Malacca. Dates for the end of the Majapahit Empire range from 1478 (that is, 1400
Saka, the ends of centuries being considered a time when changes of dynasty or courts normally ended
[9]) to 1527. The year is marked among Javanese today with ''candra sengkala'' "''sirna ilang kertaning bumi''" (the wealth of earth disappeared and diminished) (''sirna'' = 0, ''ilang'' = 0, ''kerta'' = 4, ''bumi'' = 1). After series of battles with the
Sultanate of Demak, the last remaining courtsmen of Majapahit were forced to withdraw eastward to
Kediri; it is unclear whether they were still under the rule of the Majapahit dynasty. This small state was finally extinguished at the hands of the Demak in 1527.
[10] A large number of courtiers, artisans, priests, and members of the royalty moved east to the island of
Bali; however, the crown and the seat of government moved to Demak under the leadership of Pengeran, later Sultan Fatah. The Muslim emerging forces defeated the local Majapahit kingdom in the early 16th century.
Culture
"Of all the buildings, none lack pillars, bearing fine carvings and coloured" [Within the wall compounds] "there were elegant pavilions roofed with aren fibre, like the scene in a painting... The petals of the ''katangga'' were sprinkled over the roofs for they had fallen in the wind. The roofs were like maidens with flowers arranged in their hair, delighting those who saw them". — Description of the Majapahit capital from the Old Javanese epic poem ''Nagarakertagama''.
The capital was grand and known for its great annual festivities.
Buddhism,
Shaivism, and
Vaishnavism were all practiced, and the king was regarded as the incarnation of the three. The ''Nagarakertagama'' does not mention
Islam, but there were certainly Muslim courtiers by this time.
Although
brick had been used in the ''
candi'' of Indonesia's classical age, it was Majapahit architects of the 14th and 15th centuries who mastered it.
[11] Making use of a vine sap and
palm sugar mortar, their temples had a strong geometric quality.
Legacy
For Indonesians in later centuries, Majapahit became a symbol of past greatness. The Islamic sultanates of Demak,
Pajang, and
Mataram sought to establish their legitimacy in relation to the Majapahit.
[12] The Demak claimed a line of succession through Kertabumi, as its founder,
Raden Patah, in court chronicles was said to be the son of Kertabumi with Putri Cina, a Chinese princess, who had been sent away before her son was born.
's conquest of
Wirasaba in 1615, led by the sultan himself, may have had such importance as it was the location of the Majapahit capital.
[13] Central Javanese palaces have traditions and ''
silsilah'' that attempt to prove links back to the Majapahit royal lines - usually in the form of a grave as a vital ''link'' in Java - where legitimacy is enhanced by such a connection. Bali in particular was heavily influenced by Majapahit and they consider themselves to be the true heirs of the kingdom.
Modern Indonesian nationalists, including those of the early 20th century
Indonesian National Revival, have invoked the Majapahit Empire. The memory of its greatness remains in Indonesia, and is sometimes seen as a precedent for the current political boundaries of the Republic.
In its propaganda from the 1920s, the
Communist Party of Indonesia presented its vision of a classless society as a reincarnation of a romanticized Majapahit.
[14]It was invoked by Sukarno for nation building and by the
New Order as an expression of state expansion and consolidation.
[15] Like Majapahit, the modern state of Indonesia covers vast territory and is politically centred on Java.
Majapahit had a momentous and lasting influence on
Indonesian architecture. The descriptions of the architecture of the capital's pavilions (''
pendopo'') in the ''Nagarakertagama'' (see the quotation above) invokes the Javanese
Kraton and also the
Balinese temples and compounds of today.
List of rulers
#
Raden Wijaya, styled Kertarajasa Jayawardhana (1294 - 1309)
# Kalagamet, styled
Jayanagara (1309 - 1328)
# Sri Gitarja, styled
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi (1328 - 1350)
#
Hayam Wuruk, styled Sri Rajasanagara (1350 - 1389)
#
Wikramawardhana (1389 - 1429)
#
Suhita (1429 - 1447)
#
Kertawijaya, styled Brawijaya I (1447 - 1451)
#
Rajasawardhana, born Bhre Pamotan, styled Brawijaya II (1451 - 1453)
#
★ Interregnum (1453-1456)
# Bhre Wengker, Purwawisesa or
Girishawardhana, styled Brawijaya III (1456 - 1466)
# Singhawikramawardhana, Pandanalas, or
Suraprabhawa, styled Brawijaya IV (1466 - 1468 or 1478
)
# Kertabumi, styled
Brawijaya V (1468 - 1478)
#
Girindrawardhana, styled Brawijaya VI (1478 - 1498)
References
General
★ M.C. Ricklefs, ''A History of Modern Indonesia Since c. 1300'', 2nd ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991
Notes
1. Indonesia: Peoples and Histories, , Jean Gelman, Taylor, Yale University Press, , ISBN 0-300-10518-5
2. Ricklefs (1991), page 18
3. The Role of Structural Organisation and Myth in Javanese Historiography, , A.H., Johns, The Journal of Asian Studies,
4. C. C. Berg. ''Het rijk van de vijfvoudige Buddha'' (Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Afd. Letterkunde, vol. 69, no. 1) Ansterdam: N.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, 1962; cited in M.C. Ricklefs, ''A History of Modern Indonesia Since c. 1300'', 2nd ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993, pages 18 and 311
5. Slamet Muljana. ''Menuju Puncak Kemegahan'' (LKIS, 2005)
6. Slamet Muljana. ''Menuju Puncak Kemegahan'' (LKIS, 2005)
7. Ricklefs (1991), page 19
8. Cribb, Robert, ''Historical Atlas of Indonesia'', University of Hawai'i Press, 2000
9. Ricklefs, 37 and 100
10. Ricklefs, 36-37
11. Java Style, Schoppert, P., Damais, S., , , Periplus Editions, , ISBN 962-593-232-1
12. Ricklefs, page 40
13. Ricklefs, page 43
14. Ricklefs, page 174
15. Indonesian Destinies, , Theodore, Friend, Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, , ISBN 0-674-01137-6
See also
★
Hinduism in Indonesia
★
Balinese people
★
Osing
★
Tenggerese
External links
★
A Short History of Majapahit
★
Memoirs of Majapahit Kingdom
★
a brief history of Majapahit
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