Airlangga
Encyclopedia
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
– 1049 in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
) was the only raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
of the Kingdom of Kahuripan, which was built out of the rubble of the Kingdom of Medang after the Srivijaya
Srivijaya
Srivijaya was a powerful ancient thalassocratic Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, modern day Indonesia, which influenced much of Southeast Asia. The earliest solid proof of its existence dates from the 7th century; a Chinese monk, I-Tsing, wrote that he visited Srivijaya in 671 for 6...
invasion. Airlangga means "he who crossed the water", the name described his life story; born in the court of Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
and during his youth crossed the Bali Strait
Bali Strait
Bali Strait is a 2.4 kilometer strait between the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java....
to stay in Java and later ruled the kingdom in East Java.
Early life
Airlangga was the son of queen Mahendradatta (a princess of the Isyana DynastyIsyana Dynasty
The Isyana Dynasty, rulers of the Kingdom of Medang, was a dynasty of the Hindu Medang Kingdom on the island of Java. It followed the Sanjaya Dynasty, and was established by Mpu Sindok, who moved the capital of the Mataram Kingdom from Central Java to East Java around the year 928...
, Medang, the sister of Dharmawangsa
Dharmawangsa
Dharmawangsa was the last raja of the Kingdom of Medang from 990-1006 CE. He succeeded Sri Makutawangsawardhana. Dharmawangsa was the patron of the translator of the Mahabarata text into Old Javanese...
) and Udayana Warmadewa
Udayana Warmadewa
Udayana Warmadewa, also Dharmmodayana Warmadewa, was a king of the island of Bali, belonging to the Warmadewa dynasty. He married to the Javanese queen Mahendradatta, also known as Gunapriyadharmapatni. Their son was the famous Airlangga, who replaced the overthrown Emperor of Java Dharmawangsa,...
(a king of the Warmadewa Dynasty
Warmadewa dynasty
The Warmadewa dynasty, also Varmadeva dynasty, was a regnal dynasty in the island of Bali.-History:It is considered that the dynasty was founded by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in the 10th century...
, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
). Airlangga was born and grew up in Bali, he spend his youth in Watugaluh Palace, Medang, under the patronage of his uncle, king Dharmawangsa
Dharmawangsa
Dharmawangsa was the last raja of the Kingdom of Medang from 990-1006 CE. He succeeded Sri Makutawangsawardhana. Dharmawangsa was the patron of the translator of the Mahabarata text into Old Javanese...
. At that time, Medang had become a powerful kingdom, allied or probably subjugated Bali, and had established a colony in West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city Pontianak is located right on the Equator....
. Dharmawangsa aspired to ascend Medang as regional power by challenging Srivijaya
Srivijaya
Srivijaya was a powerful ancient thalassocratic Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, modern day Indonesia, which influenced much of Southeast Asia. The earliest solid proof of its existence dates from the 7th century; a Chinese monk, I-Tsing, wrote that he visited Srivijaya in 671 for 6...
Empire domination. He launched naval invasion against Srivijaya and unsuccessfully tried to capture Palembang. Srivijaya resiliently succeed on repelling Medang invaders.
Sriwijaya Invasion
The Calcutta Stone inscription (dated from 1041 CE), describes a terrible calamity which befell the East Javanese kingdom of Isyana dynasty in the early years of the 11th century. In 1006, a rebellion incited by a vassal king Wurawari from Lwaram resulted in the destruction of the capital of Watugaluh. The reigning king, Dharmawangsa, successor to Sri Makutawangsawardhana, was murdered along with his entire family and many of his subjects. Only the young Airlangga, who was aged about 16 at the time, managed to escape unharmed. Today historians strongly suggested that the invasion was actually a Srivijayan retaliation against Medang for the attacks upon the empire. Wurawari was probably an ally of Srivijaya in Java that managed to sacked and burned Watugaluh Palace. Airlangga, accompanied by his guard Narotama, escaped into the jungle and retreated as a hermit in Vanagiri (today WonogiriWonogiri
Wonogiri is a regency in the southeastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is Wonogiri.-Administrative division:Wonogiri Regency is divided into several sub-districts as follows: Baturetno, Batuwarno, Bulukerto, Eromoko, Girimarto, Giritontro, Giriwoyo, Jatipurno, Jatiroto,...
, Central Java).
Establishment of the Kahuripan Kingdom
In 1019, after several years in the hermitage, Airlangga began to unite the areas that had formerly been ruled by the Kingdom of Medang, which had disintegrated after Dharmawangsa's death. He established a new kingdom and made peace with Srivijaya. The new kingdom was called the Kingdom of Kahuripan, and stretched from PasuruanPasuruan
Pasuruan is a city and regency of East Java, Java....
in the east to Madiun
Madiun
Madiun is a city in the western part of the province of East Java Indonesia, an agricultural centre. It is the capital of the regency of the same name....
in the west. In 1025, Airlangga increased the power and influence of Kahuripan as the Srivijaya Empire began to decline. Airlangga was known for his religious tolerance, and was a patron of both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. In 1035 Airlangga constructed a Buddhist monastery named Srivijayasrama dedicated for his queen consort Dharmaprasadottungadevi. The monastery bearing the name of Srivijaya suggests that his queen consort was probably a Srivijayan princess, a close relative of the Srivijayan king Sangramavijayattungavarman. She had taken refuge in East Java after her father was taken prisoner and her kingdom was raided through series of Chola raids. The decline of Srivijaya due to the Chola invasion gave Airlangga opportunity to consolidate his kingdom without foreign interference. Later, he extended his kingdom to Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
. The north coast of Java, particularly Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
and Tuban
Tuban
Tuban is a town located on the north coast of Java, in Tuban Regency, approximately 100 km west of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. Tuban is surrounded by Lamongan in the east, Bojonegoro in the south and Rembang, Central Java in the west....
, for the first time became important centres of trade.
Although there are few surviving archaeological remains dating from his time, Airlangga is known to have been a keen patron of the arts, notably literature. In 1035, the court poet Mpu Kanwa composed the Arjuna Wiwaha text, which was adapted from the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
epic. This text told the story of Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
, an incarnation of Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
, but was also an allegory for Airlangga's own life. The tale of Airlangga's life was illustrated in the Belahan Temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
on the flanks of Mount Penanggungan, where he was portrayed in stone as Vishnu on Garuda.
Disintegration of Kahuripan
Towards the end of his life, Airlangga was faced with the problem of succession. His heir, the crown princess Sanggramawijaya, chose to become a hermit rather than succeed Airlangga. Sangramawijaya is the daughter of the queen consort. The story of a crown princess whom renounce the throne to become a hermit is linked with the popular legend of Dewi Kilisuci that resides in the Selomangleng Cave beneath Mount Klothok, 5 km to the west of the city of KediriKediri, East Java
Kediri is an Indonesian city, located near the Brantas River in the province of East Java on the island of Java.Archaeological artefacts discovered in 2007 appeared to indicate that the region around Kediri may have been the location of the Kediri kingdom, a Hindu kingdom in the 11th century.The...
. In 1045, Airlangga divided Kahuripan into two kingdoms which were inherited by his two sons; Janggala
Janggala
The Kingdom of Janggala is one of the two Javanese kingdoms that was formed when Airlangga abdicated his throne in favour of his two sons in 1045. The other Kingdom was Kediri. The Kingdom of Janggala comprised the northern part of the Kingdom of Kahuripan....
and Kediri. Airlangga himself abdicated the throne, returned to the hermit life and died in 1049.