Many well-organized kingdoms with a
high degree of civilization were ruled by indigenous kings who had
adopted the Hindu or Buddhist religion. This explains why this
period in history is called the Period of Hindu Kingdoms. It lasted
from ancient times to the 16th Century AD. Because the culture and
civilization, which emanated from the Hindu and Buddhist religions,
were syncretized with the local cultural elements, the period was
also referred to as the Hindu-Indonesian period.
Indian culture and customs were
introduced, such as the system of government in a monarchy, the
ancestry system, the organization of military troops, literature,
music and dances, architecture, religious practices and rituals, and
even the division of laborers into castes or varnas. The Hindu
literary works known as Vedas and the "Mahabharata" and
"Ramayana" epics were also introduced through the wayang,
or shadow-play performance, which is still very popular in many
parts of present day Indonesia.
The first Indian Buddhists arrived in
Indonesia between the 1st and 2nd Centuries AD. They brought with
them Buddhism in its two sects, Hinayana and Mahayana. The latter
became more advanced in the 8th Century AD.
In 144 AD a Chinese Buddhist saint,
Fa Hsien, was caught in a storm and landed in Java-Dwipa, or Java
Island, where he stayed for five months. The northern part of the
island was then ruled by an Indonesian Hindu King named Kudungga.
Kutai, on the island of Borneo, was successively ruled by the Hindu
kings Devawarman, Aswawarman and Mulawarman.
When the Greek explorer and
geographer, Ptolemy of Alexandria, wrote on Indonesia, he named
either the island of Java or Sumatra "abadiou". His
chronicles described Java as a country with a good system of
government and advanced agriculture, navigation and astronomy. There
was even mention of the "batik" printing process of cloth
that the people already knew. They also made metalware, used the
metric system and printed coins.
Chinese chronicles of 132 AD
described the existence of diplomatic relations between Java-Dwipa
and China. Around 502 AD Chinese annals mentioned the existence of
the Buddhist Kingdom, Kanto Lim in South Sumatra, presumably in the
neighborhood of present-day Palembang. It was ruled by king Gautama
Subhadra, and later by his son Pyrawarman of Vinyawarman who
established diplomatic relations with China. Because of a spelling
or pronunciation difficulty, what the Chinese called "Kanto
Li" was probably Crivijaya, a mighty Buddhist kingdom. On his
way to India, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, I Tsing, visited
Crivijaya in 671 AD to study the Sanskrit language. He returned 18
years later, in 689 AD Crivijaya was then the center of Buddhist
learning and had many well-known philosophy scholars like Sakyakirti,
Dharmapala and Vajabudhi.
The kingdom had diplomatic relations
with the south Indian kingdom of Nalanda. The Crivijaya mission
built a school on its premises where Indians could learn the art of
molding bronze statues and broaden their knowledge of the Buddhist
philosophy. With the spread of Buddhism, Crivijaya's influence
reached out to many other parts of the archipelago.
Another known Buddhist kingdom was
Cailendra in Central Java. It was ruled by the kings of Cailendra
Dynasty. During their rule (750-850 AD) the famous Buddhist temple,
Borobudur, was built. In 772 AD other Buddhist temple were also
built. They include the Mendut, Kalasan and Pawon temples. All of
these temples are now preserved as tourist objects near the city of
Yogyakarta. The Cailendra kingdom was also known for its commercial
and naval power, and its flourishing arts and culture. A guide to
learn singing, known as the Chandra Cha-ana, was first written in
778 AD.
The Prambanan temple, which was
dedicated to Lord Civa, was started in 856 AD and completed in 900
AD by King Daksa. Earlier Civa temples were built in 675 AD on the
Dieng mountain range, southwest of Medang Kamolan, the capital of
the Mataram Kingdom.
In West Java were the kingdoms of Galuh, Kanoman, Kuningan and
Pajajaran. The latter was founded by
King Purana with Pakuan as its capital. It replaced the kingdom of
Galuh. The kingdoms of Taruma Negara, Kawali and Parahyangan Sunda
came later.
At the end of the 10th Century
(911-1007 AD) the powerful kingdom of Singasari emerged in East Java
under King Dharmawangsa. He codified laws and translated into
Javanese the "Mahabharata" epic and its basic philosophy,
as exposed in the Bhisma Parva scripture. He also ordered the 12
translations of the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavat Gita.
Meanwhile, the island of Bali was
also ruled by King Airlangga, known as a wise and strong ruler. He
had water-works built along the Brantas River that are still in use
today. Before his death in 971 AD he divided his kingdom into the
kingdoms of Janggala and Daha or Kediri. These were to be ruled by
his two sons.
King Jayabaya of Kediri 1135-1157
wrote a book in which he foretold the downfall of Indonesia.
Subsequently, so he wrote, the country would be ruled by a white
race, to be followed by a yellow race. His prediction turned out to
be Dutch colonial rule and the Japanese occupation of the country
during World War. However, Jayabaya also predicted that Indonesia
would ultimately regain her independence. During the golden period
of the Kediri Kingdom many other literary works were produced,
including the Javanese version of the Mahabharata by Mpu (saint)
Sedah and his brother Mpu Panuluh. This work was published in 1157.
The kingdoms of East Java were later
succeeded by the Majapahit Kingdom, first ruled by Prince Wijaya who
was also known as King Kartarajasa.
Under King Hayam Wuruk the Majapahit
Empire became the most powerful kingdom in the history of Indonesia.
It had dependencies in territories beyond the borders of the present
archipelago, such as Champa in North Vietnam, Kampuchea and the
Philippines (1331-1364). King Hayam Wuruk, with his able premier
Gajah Mada, succeeded in gradually uniting the whole archipelago
under the name of Dwipantara.
During this golden period of
Majapahit many literary works were produced. Among them was "Negara
Kertagama," by the famous author Prapancha (1335-1380). Parts
of the book described the diplomatic and economic ties between
Majapahit and numerous Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar,
Thailand, Tonkin, Annam, Kampuchea and even India and China. Other
works in Kawi, the old Javanese language, were "Pararaton,"
"Arjuna Wiwaha," "Ramayana," and "Sarasa
Muschaya." These works were later translated into modern
European languages for educational purposes.
high degree of civilization were ruled by indigenous kings who had
adopted the Hindu or Buddhist religion. This explains why this
period in history is called the Period of Hindu Kingdoms. It lasted
from ancient times to the 16th Century AD. Because the culture and
civilization, which emanated from the Hindu and Buddhist religions,
were syncretized with the local cultural elements, the period was
also referred to as the Hindu-Indonesian period.
Indian culture and customs were
introduced, such as the system of government in a monarchy, the
ancestry system, the organization of military troops, literature,
music and dances, architecture, religious practices and rituals, and
even the division of laborers into castes or varnas. The Hindu
literary works known as Vedas and the "Mahabharata" and
"Ramayana" epics were also introduced through the wayang,
or shadow-play performance, which is still very popular in many
parts of present day Indonesia.
The first Indian Buddhists arrived in
Indonesia between the 1st and 2nd Centuries AD. They brought with
them Buddhism in its two sects, Hinayana and Mahayana. The latter
became more advanced in the 8th Century AD.
In 144 AD a Chinese Buddhist saint,
Fa Hsien, was caught in a storm and landed in Java-Dwipa, or Java
Island, where he stayed for five months. The northern part of the
island was then ruled by an Indonesian Hindu King named Kudungga.
Kutai, on the island of Borneo, was successively ruled by the Hindu
kings Devawarman, Aswawarman and Mulawarman.
When the Greek explorer and
geographer, Ptolemy of Alexandria, wrote on Indonesia, he named
either the island of Java or Sumatra "abadiou". His
chronicles described Java as a country with a good system of
government and advanced agriculture, navigation and astronomy. There
was even mention of the "batik" printing process of cloth
that the people already knew. They also made metalware, used the
metric system and printed coins.
Chinese chronicles of 132 AD
described the existence of diplomatic relations between Java-Dwipa
and China. Around 502 AD Chinese annals mentioned the existence of
the Buddhist Kingdom, Kanto Lim in South Sumatra, presumably in the
neighborhood of present-day Palembang. It was ruled by king Gautama
Subhadra, and later by his son Pyrawarman of Vinyawarman who
established diplomatic relations with China. Because of a spelling
or pronunciation difficulty, what the Chinese called "Kanto
Li" was probably Crivijaya, a mighty Buddhist kingdom. On his
way to India, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, I Tsing, visited
Crivijaya in 671 AD to study the Sanskrit language. He returned 18
years later, in 689 AD Crivijaya was then the center of Buddhist
learning and had many well-known philosophy scholars like Sakyakirti,
Dharmapala and Vajabudhi.
The kingdom had diplomatic relations
with the south Indian kingdom of Nalanda. The Crivijaya mission
built a school on its premises where Indians could learn the art of
molding bronze statues and broaden their knowledge of the Buddhist
philosophy. With the spread of Buddhism, Crivijaya's influence
reached out to many other parts of the archipelago.
Another known Buddhist kingdom was
Cailendra in Central Java. It was ruled by the kings of Cailendra
Dynasty. During their rule (750-850 AD) the famous Buddhist temple,
Borobudur, was built. In 772 AD other Buddhist temple were also
built. They include the Mendut, Kalasan and Pawon temples. All of
these temples are now preserved as tourist objects near the city of
Yogyakarta. The Cailendra kingdom was also known for its commercial
and naval power, and its flourishing arts and culture. A guide to
learn singing, known as the Chandra Cha-ana, was first written in
778 AD.
The Prambanan temple, which was
dedicated to Lord Civa, was started in 856 AD and completed in 900
AD by King Daksa. Earlier Civa temples were built in 675 AD on the
Dieng mountain range, southwest of Medang Kamolan, the capital of
the Mataram Kingdom.
In West Java were the kingdoms of Galuh, Kanoman, Kuningan and
Pajajaran. The latter was founded by
King Purana with Pakuan as its capital. It replaced the kingdom of
Galuh. The kingdoms of Taruma Negara, Kawali and Parahyangan Sunda
came later.
At the end of the 10th Century
(911-1007 AD) the powerful kingdom of Singasari emerged in East Java
under King Dharmawangsa. He codified laws and translated into
Javanese the "Mahabharata" epic and its basic philosophy,
as exposed in the Bhisma Parva scripture. He also ordered the 12
translations of the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavat Gita.
Meanwhile, the island of Bali was
also ruled by King Airlangga, known as a wise and strong ruler. He
had water-works built along the Brantas River that are still in use
today. Before his death in 971 AD he divided his kingdom into the
kingdoms of Janggala and Daha or Kediri. These were to be ruled by
his two sons.
King Jayabaya of Kediri 1135-1157
wrote a book in which he foretold the downfall of Indonesia.
Subsequently, so he wrote, the country would be ruled by a white
race, to be followed by a yellow race. His prediction turned out to
be Dutch colonial rule and the Japanese occupation of the country
during World War. However, Jayabaya also predicted that Indonesia
would ultimately regain her independence. During the golden period
of the Kediri Kingdom many other literary works were produced,
including the Javanese version of the Mahabharata by Mpu (saint)
Sedah and his brother Mpu Panuluh. This work was published in 1157.
The kingdoms of East Java were later
succeeded by the Majapahit Kingdom, first ruled by Prince Wijaya who
was also known as King Kartarajasa.
Under King Hayam Wuruk the Majapahit
Empire became the most powerful kingdom in the history of Indonesia.
It had dependencies in territories beyond the borders of the present
archipelago, such as Champa in North Vietnam, Kampuchea and the
Philippines (1331-1364). King Hayam Wuruk, with his able premier
Gajah Mada, succeeded in gradually uniting the whole archipelago
under the name of Dwipantara.
During this golden period of
Majapahit many literary works were produced. Among them was "Negara
Kertagama," by the famous author Prapancha (1335-1380). Parts
of the book described the diplomatic and economic ties between
Majapahit and numerous Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar,
Thailand, Tonkin, Annam, Kampuchea and even India and China. Other
works in Kawi, the old Javanese language, were "Pararaton,"
"Arjuna Wiwaha," "Ramayana," and "Sarasa
Muschaya." These works were later translated into modern
European languages for educational purposes.
THE PERIOD OF HINDU KINGDOMS
4/
5
Oleh
Unknown
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