Adityawarman

Adityawarman (also Adityavarman), a nobleman born in east Java, from Pararaton[1] poem, his mother's name was Dara Jingga from Dharmasraya princess; his father’s name was Adwayawarman from Kuburajo Inscription[2] around Limo Kaum in West Sumatra. He may have gone to China on a diplomatic expedition in 1325 if, as some historians believe, he is the envoy whom a Chinese source calls Sengk'ia-lie-yu-lan[3].

Contents

Early life

Adityawarman was born on around 1294-1310 in Trowulan, the capital of the kingdom of Majapahit. He was the cousin of Jayanegara, king of Majapahit in 1309-1328, and the grandson of Tribhuwanaraja, king of Melayu Kingdom.[4]

His name appears in Java as early as 1343 on an image of Bodhisattva Manjusri that was originally in Candi Jago, the sanctuary which was built by Kertanegara for his father Visnuvardhana.[5]

In one of his inscriptions, he explicitly calls himself Lord of the Golden Earth (Kanakamedinindra). An inscription in localized Malay Sanskrit found on the back of the Amoghapasa statue found at Rambahan, West Sumatra, dated 1347, written (and perhaps composed) by Adityawarman, commemorates his role as protector and source of welfare to the people of the capital of Malaya (Malayapura) and his power as an embodiment of Amoghapasa[6]. At Malayapura, Adityawarman bore the royal title of Srimat Sri Udayadityawarman Pratapaparakrama Rajendra Maulimali Warmadewa, a title which one scholar believes he can detect an attempt at synthesis of the royal title traditionally in use in Srivijaya and Malayu. His kingdom that still bore the name of Malayu but already corresponded to the future Minangkabau.

Adityawarman left many more inscriptions than any other Sumateran ruler; these show that he was a devotee of esoteric Buddhism. He ruled for a long time, until at least 1375. His last known inscription was issued in that year. He is described as the Lord of Suravasa[7]; the name Suruaso is still used to refer to the area near Pagarruyung.

Adityawarman conquered Jambi region in Sumatra, and later the Tanah Datar region in central Sumatra to take control of the gold trade. Adityawarman then founded the royal dynasty of Minangkabau in Pagar Ruyung and presided over the central Sumatra region between 1347 and 1375.

References

  1. ^ Brandes, J.L.A. , (1897), Pararaton (Ken Arok) of het boek der Koningen van Tumapěl en van Majapahit, Uitgegeven en toegelicht, Batavia: Albrecht; 's Hage: Nijhoff, VBG 49.1.
  2. ^ Kern, J.H.C., (1913), Grafsteenopschrift van Koeboer Radja, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlands-Indië, p. 401–404.
  3. ^ Slamet Muljana, (2005), Runtuhnya Kerajaan Hindu-Jawa dan Timbulnya Negara-negara Islam di Nusantara, Yogyakarta: LKiS, ISBN 978-979-8451-16-4.
  4. ^ Hardjowardojo, R.P., (1966), Adityawarman, Sebuah Studi tentang Tokoh Nasional dari Abad XIV, Djakarta: Bhratara.
  5. ^ Bosch, F.D.K., (1921), De inscriptie op het Mansjuri-beeld van 1265 Caka, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land en Volkenkunde. 77: 194-201.
  6. ^ Kern, J.H.C., (1907), De wij-inscriptie op het Amoghapāça-beeld van Padang Candi(Batang Hari-districten); 1269 Çaka, Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land-, en Volkenkunde.
  7. ^ de Casparis, J. G., (1990), An Ancient Garden in West Sumatra, Saraswati Esai-Esai Arkeologi Kalpataru Majalah Arkeologi 9: 40–50.

Further reading

See also