Raden Wijaya

Long ago, a prince lived in Java.

He was named Raden Wijaya. He started a new land. It was called Majapahit. The name came from a bitter fruit.

A big army from far away came to help him. But then the prince fought them too. He won and became the first king. He was a very strong leader. After he died, his son became the next king. He left behind a great empire.

Raden Wijaya was a prince from Java. He was the founder of the Majapahit Empire. This empire ruled much of the land for a long time.

Long ago, a king named Kertanagara was killed. Raden Wijaya had to flee to find safety. He met a man named Arya Wiraraja. They made a plan to build a new kingdom.

In 1293, a large Mongol army arrived. They wanted to punish the old king. Raden Wijaya joined forces with the Mongols to fight a rival group. After they won, he turned and attacked the Mongol army. He won and became the first king of Majapahit.

The name Majapahit came from a forest. This forest had many maja fruits. These fruits tasted very bitter.

Raden Wijaya was a strong leader. He had many wives and children. He died in 1309. People buried him in the Simping Temple. They saw him as a god. His son, Jayanegara, became the next king.

Caption: A statue of the god Harihara.

Raden Wijaya was a famous prince from the island of Java. He was the founder of the Majapahit Empire. This huge empire ruled Java and much of the area known as Nusantara. This area spread across parts of Asia and Oceania. His rule began in 1293 and lasted until he died in 1309.

People remember him through old records like the Pararaton and the Negarakertagama. These books tell the story of how he built a new land.

Building the empire was a very hard job. First, Wijaya had to deal with a rebellion in the land of Kediri. He worked with a man named Arya Wiraraja to make a plan. They promised to share power if they could win. In 1293, a large Mongol army arrived from the Yuan dynasty. They wanted to punish the old king of Singhasari. Wijaya made an alliance with the Mongols to defeat the Kediri kingdom. After they won, Wijaya turned and attacked the Mongol army. He used clever tactics to make them flee Java.

There are different stories about who his family was. The Pararaton says he was the son of Mahisa Campaka. This man was a prince of Singhasari. Another source says his father was Rakeyan Jayadarma. This story says his mother was Dyah Lembu Tal. The Negarakretagama gives a different view of his family tree. It says he was the great-grandson of Ken Arok. Ken Arok was the very first king of Singhasari. This book was written in 1365, many years after he died.

After his victory, Wijaya became the first king of Majapahit. He used the title Kertarajasa Jayawardhana. The name Majapahit came from the Tarik forest. This forest had many maja fruits in it. These fruits had a very bitter taste.

He was a very firm and capable ruler. He gave Arya Wiraraja special lands in Madura and Lumajang. He even had a special guard of seven men. These guards were named Ra Kuti, Ra Semi, and Ra Tanca. Other guards were Ra Wedeng, Ra Yuyu, Ra Banyak, and Ra Pangsa.

Raden Wijaya had a large family to help keep his power. He married several daughters of the old King Kertanagara. This helped show that he was the rightful leader. He had a son named Dyah Jayanegara with his wife Indreswari. He also had two daughters named Tribhuwana and Rajadewi. When he died in 1309, his son Jayanegara became the next king. People buried him in the Simping Temple. They saw him as the god Harihara.

Raden Wijaya was a Javanese prince and a powerful leader. He was the founder of the Majapahit Empire. This empire ruled the island of Java and much of the Nusantara region. This area spanned across parts of Asia and Oceania. His rule began in 1293 and lasted until his death in 1309. Historians learn about his life through ancient records. Two important books are the Pararaton and the Negarakretagama.

There are different accounts of Wijaya's family history. The Pararaton states he was the son of Mahisa Campaka. Mahisa Campaka was a prince of the Singhasari kingdom. Another source, the Pustaka Rajyarajya i Bhumi Nusantara, offers a different view. It claims he was the son of Rakeyan Jayadarma and Dyah Lembu Tal. The Negarakretagama provides a third perspective. Written in 1365, this source says he was the great-grandson of Ken Arok. Ken Arok was the first king of Singhasari. Because the Negarakretagama was written much later, many people find it more reliable.

Building the Majapahit Empire required many difficult steps. In 1289, the Mongol Yuan dynasty sent a demand for tribute. The King of Singhasari, Kertanagara, refused this demand. This led to a major conflict with the Mongol navy. Soon after, a rebellion led by Jayakatwang attacked Singhasari. Kertanagara was killed in 1292 during this rebellion. Raden Wijaya had to flee to Sumenep on the island of Madura. There, he worked with a governor named Arya Wiraraja to create a new plan.

Wijaya and Wiraraja formed a strategic alliance. Wijaya promised to share his power with Wiraraja if they could defeat Jayakatwang. In 1293, the Mongol army arrived to punish the previous king. Wijaya used the Mongols to help him destroy the Kediri kingdom. Once the Kediri kingdom collapsed, Wijaya turned against the Mongols. He used various tactics to defeat the foreign army. The Mongols were already weakened by the tropical climate and diseases. This victory allowed Wijaya to establish his own independent kingdom in 1293.

The new kingdom was named Majapahit. This name came from the Tarik forest area. The forest was full of maja fruits. These fruits were known for having a very bitter taste. Wijaya took the regnal name Kertarajasa Jayawardhana. He was a firm and capable ruler. He gave Arya Wiraraja special status and land in Madura. He also appointed his son, Nambi, as prime minister. Wijaya even created a special royal guard of seven men. These guards were named Ra Kuti, Ra Semi, Ra Tanca, Ra Wedeng, Ra Yuyu, Ra Banyak, and Ra Pangsa.

Maintaining power was not always easy for the new king. Several leaders who held high positions eventually rebelled. Ranggalawe, the son of Wiraraja, led the first recorded rebellion in 1295. He fought at the Tambak Beras river and died there. In 1301, another leader named Lembu Sora led a rebellion. This conflict resulted in the deaths of Lembu Sora and his followers. Later, a leader named Nambi also rebelled. His rebellion was suppressed in 1316 during the reign of Wijaya's son.

Raden Wijaya used marriage to strengthen his political claim. He married four daughters of the former King Kertanagara. These women were Parameswari Tribhuwana, Prajnaparamitha, Narendra Duhita, and Gayatri Rajapatni. This practice helped ensure his legitimacy as a leader. He also married Indreswari, a princess from the Malayu Dharmasraya Kingdom. Through these marriages, he had several children. His son, Dyah Jayanegara, was born to Indreswari. His daughters, Tribhuwana and Rajadewi, were born to Gayatri.

Raden Wijaya died in 1309. His son, Jayanegara, succeeded him as the next king. The king was honored in a very special way after his death. He was buried in the Simping Temple. In this temple, he was portrayed as the god Harihara. Harihara is a combination of the gods Vishnu and Shiva. This religious image shows the high status he held in Javanese history. His legacy continued through the Majapahit Empire and his descendants.