Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu)
Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist''
Javanese Kingdom based in
East Java
East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
from 1042 to around 1222. This kingdom is centered in the ancient city ''Dahanapura'', despite the lack of archaeological remains, the age of Kediri saw much development in classical literature. Mpu Sedah's ''
Kakawin Bharatayuddha'', Mpu Panuluh's ''Gatotkacasraya'', and Mpu Dharmaja's ''
Smaradhana
''Smaradahana'', also known as ''Smaradhana'', ''Asmaradhana'', ''Asmaradahana'', ''Asmaradana'', ''Asmarandhana'' or ''Asmarandana'' is an old Javanese poem (''kakawin'') written by Mpu Dharmaja as the eulogy for King Kameçvara of Kediri in ea ...
'' blossomed in this era. The kingdom's capital is believed to have been established in the western part of the
Brantas River
The Brantas is the longest river in East Java, Indonesia. It has a length of 320 km, and drains an area over 11,000 km2 from the southern slope of Mount Kawi-Kelud-Butak, Mount Wilis, and the northern slopes of Mount Liman-Limas, M ...
valley, somewhere near modern
Kediri city and surrounding
Kediri Regency
Kediri Regency is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency (''kabupaten'') located in East Java province, Indonesia. It is one of two 'Subdivisions of Indonesia#Regencies and Cities, Daerah Tingkat II' that has the name 'Kediri' (The other is Kediri (cit ...
.
Etymology and names
Actually, the city of
Daha existed before the division of the kingdom. Daha is an abbreviation of ''Dahanapura'', which means ''city of fire''. This name is listed in the Pamwatan inscription issued by Airlangga in 1042. This is in accordance with the news in ''
Serat Calon Arang'', that at the end of Airlangga's reign, the center of the kingdom was no longer in
Kahuripan , but has moved to
Dahanapura and calls Airlangga the king of Daha.
Panjalu
In the beginning, the name Pañjalu was used more often than the name Kediri. This can be found in the inscriptions published by the kings of Panjalu. In fact, the name Panjalu is also known as Pu-chia-lung in the
Chinese chronicle entitled ''Ling wai tai ta'' (1178).
There are three types of land that were used by the community in the past when building settlements and other things. The first is called Anupa, and it is land that has fertile soil, is close to springs, and allows various kinds of seeds to grow well if planted there. The second is called Sadarana, and it is land which in some areas is fertile and in others less fertile. The third is called Janggala, and it is infertile land or wilderness.
The word Pangjalu comes from the word Jalu which means male (Indonesian jantan) and the prefix Pang (Indonesian pe-, thus Indonesian pejantan, or one who is male), and in this regional context means a fertile and independent area. The term Kadiri is a synonym of the word Pangjalu, and it also means independent.
Kadiri
The name "Kadiri" or "Kediri" also comes from the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
word ''Khadri'' which means India Mulberry (''
Morinda citrifolia
''Morinda citrifolia'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout th ...
''), locally known as ''pacé'' or ''mengkudu'' tree. The bark of morinda produces a brownish-purplish
dye for
batik
Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...
-making, while its fruit have medicinal values. Similar named city also known,
Kadiri in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
The origin of the word that is considered more appropriate is derived from the word "kadiri" in the
Old Javanese
Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...
language which means being able to stand alone, be independent, stand tall, have personality, or be self-sufficient.
The kingdom was also known as Panjalu the correct reading is Pangjalu as the twin kingdom with Janggala. During the reign of
Jayakatwang
Jayakatwang (died 1293) was the king of short lived second Kingdom of Kediri (also known as Gelang-gelang Kingdom) of Java, after his overthrow of Kertanegara, the last king of Singhasari. He was eventually defeated by Raden Wijaya, Kertanegara ...
that revived the short-lived second dynasty of Kadiri, the kingdom is also known as Gelang-gelang or Gegelang. Other than Kadiri, the kingdom was also often referred to as Daha or Dahanapura, after its capital. The name "Daha" was used in later
Majapahit period, as the seat of rival court of
Trowulan
Trowulan is an archaeological site in Trowulan Subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, in the Indonesian province of East Java. It includes approximately 100 square kilometres and has been theorized to be the site of the eponymous capital city of the ...
.
Founding of Kediri
The Kingdom of Kediri is the successor of Airlangga's
Kahuripan
Kahuripan (also spelt Kuripan) was an 11th-century Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom with its capital located around the estuarine of Brantas River valley in East Java. The kingdom was short-lived, only spanning the period between 1019 and 1045, ...
kingdom, and thought as the continuation of
Isyana Dynasty The Ishana dynasty, rulers of the Kingdom of Mataram, was a dynasty of the Hindu Mataram Kingdom on the island of Java. Ishana (Sanskrit: ईशान, IAST: Īśāna, ) refers to a Hindu god who is often considered to be one of the forms of the Hi ...
in Java. In 1042,
Airlangga
Airlangga (also spelled Erlangga), regnal name Rakai Halu Sri Lokeswara Dharmawangsa Airlangga Anantawikramottunggadewa (born 1000/02 in Bali, Indonesia – died 1049 in Java), was the only raja of the Kingdom of Kahuripan. The Kingdom was ...
divided his kingdom of Kahuripan into two,
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 northeastern part of the King ...
and Panjalu (Kadiri), and abdicated in favour of his sons to live as an ascetic. He died seven years later.
Reign of Kediri kings
The first king of Kediri to leave historical records was Maharaja Çri Samaravijaya. His royal seal was ''Garudmukhalancana'' or ''Garudmukha'', the same as Airlangga's. he reigned from
1042
Year 1042 ( MXLII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* April 19 – Emperor Michael V Kalaphates banishes his adoptive mother and co ...
-
1051 and succeeded by Çri Jitendrakara Parakrama Bakta in
1051-
1112.
It is not known exactly when Çri Bamesvara ascended the throne of the Kediri Kingdom. The ''Lanchana'' (royal seal) of his reign was a skull with a crescent moon called ''chandrakapala'', the symbol of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. During the reign of Maharaja Çri Bamesvara himself, there were at least ten inscriptions containing the development of Java in the eastern part around
1112-
1135
Year 1135 ( MCXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Levant
* Spring – Shams al-Mulk Isma'il, Seljuk ruler of Damascuoks, sends envoys to Imad a ...
.
Jayabhaya (reigned 1135-1157) succeeded Bamesvara. His formal stylised name was ''Çri Maharaja çri Dharmmeçwara Madhusudanawataranindita Suhrtsingha Parakrama Digjayottunggadewa''. The ''Lanchana'' (royal seal) of his reign was ''Narasinghavatara'' depicts one of the avatars of
Lord Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
, namely Narasinghavatara. His form is described as a human with a lion's head tearing the stomach of Hiranyakasipu (King of the Giants). The name Jayabhaya was immortalised in Sedah's ''
Kakawin Bharatayuddha'', a Javanese version of the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
'', written in 1135. This Kakawin was perfected by his brother, Mpu Panuluh. Mpu Panuluh wrote ''Hariwangsa'' and ''Gatotkacasraya''. Jayabhaya's reign was considered the golden age of
Old Javanese
Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...
literature. The ''Prelambang Joyoboyo'', a prophetic book ascribed to Jayabhaya, is well known among Javanese. It predicted that the archipelago would be ruled by a white race for a long time, then a yellow race for a short time, then be glorious again. The Jayabhaya prophecies mention
Ratu Adil, the ''Just Prince'', a recurring popular figure in Javanese folklore. During the reign,
Ternate
Ternate is a city in the Indonesian province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands. It was the ''de facto'' provincial capital of North Maluku before Sofifi on the nearby coast of Halmahera became the capital in 2010. It is off the ...
was a
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
state of Kediri.
Jayabhaya's successor was Sarwweçwara/''Sarvesvara'' (reigned from
1159 to
1171) the royal symbol is named ''Sarwwecwaralancana'', wing-shaped numbering nine and at the end there is a crested circle. Where everything is surrounded by three striped circles.
followed by Aryyeçwara/''Aryesvara'' (reigned
1171-
1181), who uses
Ganesha
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...
the elephant-headed god as Lanchana of his kingdom. and became the (royal seal) of his reign and the Kingdom of Kadiri as stated in the inscription.
The next monarch was king Gandra his formal stylised name was ''Çri maharaja çri Kroncarryadipa Handabhuwanapalaka Parakramanindita Digjayottunggadewanama çri Gandra''. An inscription (dated 1181) from his reign documents the beginning of the adoption of animal names for important officials, such as ''Kbo Salawah'', ''Menjangan Puguh'', ''Lembu Agra'', ''Gajah Kuning'', and ''Macan Putih''. Among these highly ranked officials mentioned in the inscription, there is a title ''Senapati Sarwwajala'', or ''laksmana'', a title reserved for navy generals, which means that Kediri had a navy during his reign.
The eighth king was
Kameçvara. His formal stylised name was ''Çri Maharaja Rake Sirikan çri Kameçvara Sakalabhuwanatustikarana Sarwaniwaryyawiryya Parakrama Digjayottunggadewa''. He uses the ''(winged shell)'' as his royal seal under the name ''Kamecwaralancana''. During his reign, Mpu Dharmaja wrote ''
Smaradhana
''Smaradahana'', also known as ''Smaradhana'', ''Asmaradhana'', ''Asmaradahana'', ''Asmaradana'', ''Asmarandhana'' or ''Asmarandana'' is an old Javanese poem (''kakawin'') written by Mpu Dharmaja as the eulogy for King Kameçvara of Kediri in ea ...
'', in which the king was adored as the incarnation of
Kamajaya, the god of love, and his capital city Dahana was admired throughout the known world. Kameçvara's wife, Çri Kirana, was celebrated as the incarnation of
Kamaratih, goddess of love and passion. The tales of this story, known as
Panji cycle, spread throughout Southeast Asia as far as
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
The last king of Kediri was Kritajaya/Kertajaya (
1194
Year 1194 ( MCXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
England
* February 4 – King Richard I (the Lionheart) is ransomed for an amount of 150,000 ...
–
1222), King Çrngga or Kritajaya ruled Kediri, with the official name ''Çri maharaja çri Sarwweçwara Triwikramawataranindita Çrngga lancana Digwijayottunggadewa''. He used a Crnggalancana picture of (Cangkha) flanked by two horns and continued with the words "Krtajaya" above. The presence of a dominant horns makes this badge called ''Crnggalancana'' or horned badge. In
1222 he was forced to surrender his throne to
Ken Arok
Ken Arok (or Ken Angrok), Rajasa (died c. 1227), was the founder and first ruler of Singhasari (also spelled Singosari), a medieval Indianized Hindu–Buddhist kingdom in the East Java area of Indonesia. He is considered the founder of the Raja ...
and so lost the sovereignty of his kingdom to the new kingdom of
Singhasari. This was the result of his defeat at the
battle of Ganter
The Battle of Genter, also known as the Battle of Ganter, was a military engagement fought between two rival Javanese rulers in the early 13th century. The battle resulted in one ruler, Ken Arok, defeating his rival and routing their army. The ba ...
. This event marked the end of Kediri era, and the beginning of the
Singhasari era.
Relations with regional powers
The Kediri kingdom existed alongside the
Srivijaya empire based in Sumatra throughout 11th to 12th-century, and seems to have maintained trade relations with China and to some extent India. Chinese account identify this kingdom as ''Tsao-wa'' or ''Chao-wa'' (Java), numbers of Chinese records signify that Chinese explorers and traders frequented this kingdom. Relations with India were cultural one, as numbers of Javanese ''rakawi'' (poet or scholar) wrote literatures that been inspired by Hindu mythology, beliefs and epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana.
In 11th-century, Srivijayan hegemony in Indonesian archipelago began to decline, marked by
Rajendra Chola invasion to Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. The
Chola king of
Coromandel
Coromandel may refer to:
Places India
*Coromandel Coast, India
**Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements
** Dutch Coromandel
*Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India
New Zealand
*Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula
*Coro ...
conquered
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...
from
Srivijaya. The weakening of Srivijayan hegemony has enabled the formation of regional kingdoms, like Kediri, based on agriculture rather than trade. Later Kediri managed to control the
spice trade routes to
Maluku.
According to a Chinese source in the book of ''
Chu-fan-chi'' written around 1225,
Chou Ju-kua Zhao Rukuo (; 1170–1231), also read as Zhao Rugua, or misread as Zhao Rushi, was a Chinese historian and politician during the Song dynasty. He wrote a two-volume book titled ''Zhu Fan Zhi''. The book deals with the world known to the Chinese in t ...
described that in the
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
n archipelago there were two powerful and rich kingdoms: Srivijaya and Java (Kediri). In Java he found that people adhere two religions:
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
and the religion of Brahmin (
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
). The people of Java were brave and short tempered, daring to put up a fight. Their favourite pastimes were
cockfighting
A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...
and pigfighting. The currency was made from the mixture of
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
,
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
, and
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
.
The book of ''Chu-fan-chi'' mentioned that Java was ruled by a
maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
, who ruled several colonies: Pai-hua-yuan (
Pacitan
Pacitan Regency ( id, Kabupaten Pacitan) is a regency located in the southwestern corner of East Java Province, with Central Java Province on its western border. Located between 7.55° - 8.17°S and 110.55° - 111.25°E. The borders of Pacitan Re ...
), Ma-tung (Medang), Ta-pen (Tumapel, now
Malang), Hi-ning (
Dieng), Jung-ya-lu (Hujung Galuh, now
Surabaya), Tung-ki (Jenggi,
West Papua), Ta-kang (
Sumba), Huang-ma-chu (
Southwest Papua
Southwest Papua ( id, Papua Barat Daya) is a province of Indonesia, and is a fraction of Western New Guinea. Despite being named southwest, it is a misnomer and this province is actually located in the northwest edge of Papua. The area that belo ...
), Ma-li (
Bali), Kulun (Gurun, identified as Gorong or
Sorong
Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia's ...
in
West Papua or an island in
Nusa Tenggara
The Lesser Sunda Islands or nowadays known as Nusa Tenggara Islands ( id, Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara, formerly ) are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up t ...
), Tan-jung-wu-lo (
Tanjungpura in Borneo), Ti-wu (
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, also ...
), Pingya-i (
Banggai in Sulawesi), and Wu-nu-ku (
Maluku).
Regarding Srivijaya, Chou-Ju-Kua reported that Kien-pi (Kampe, in
northern Sumatra) with armed forced rebellion had liberated themselves from Srivijaya, and crowned their own king. The same fate befell some of Srivijaya's colonies on the
Malay Peninsula that liberated themselves from Srivijaya domination. However Srivijaya was still the mightiest and wealthiest state in the western part of the archipelago. Srivijaya's colonies were: Pong-fong (
Pahang
Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...
), Tong-ya-nong (
Trengganu), Ling-ya-ssi-kia (
Langkasuka
Langkasuka was an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula. The name is Sanskrit in origin; it is thought to be a combination of ''langkha'' for "resplendent land" -'' sukkha'' for "bliss". The kingdom, along with Old K ...
), Kilan-tan (
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in th ...
), Fo-lo-an, Ji-lo-t'ing (
Jelutong), Ts'ien-mai (?), Pa-t'a (
Paka), Tan-ma-ling (
Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
, Ligor or
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality ( th, เทศบาลนครนครศรีธรรมราช, ; from Pali ''Nagara Sri Dhammaraja'') is a municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Southern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat pro ...
), Kia-lo-hi (
Grahi, northern part of Malay peninsula), Pa-lin-fong (
Palembang), Sin-t'o (
Sunda), Lan-wu-li (Lamuri at
Aceh), and Si-lan. According to this source, in the early 13th century Srivijaya still ruled Sumatra, the Malay peninsula, and western Java (
Sunda).
Regarding
Sunda, the book details that the port of Sunda (
Sunda Kelapa
Sunda Kelapa ( su, , Sunda Kalapa) is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" ( Sundanese: "Coconut of Sunda") is the original name, and it was the main port of the Sunda Kingdom. The port is situated i ...
) was excellent and strategically located, and that the
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
from Sunda was among the best quality. The people worked in agriculture; their houses were built on wooden piles (rumah panggung). However the country was infested with robbers and thieves.
Culture
Celebrated as an era of blossoming literature, Kediri produced significant contributions in the field of Javanese classic literature. Next to the literary works already mentioned, ''
Śiwarātrikalpa'' and ''
Wrtasancaya'' by
Mpu Tanakung, ''
Krisnayana'' written by
Mpu Triguna, and ''
Sumanasantaka'' by
Mpu Monaguṇa are also notable.
The book of ''Ling-wai-tai-ta'' composed by Chinese author Chou K'u-fei in 1178, gave a glimpse of everyday life in Kediri that cannot be found in any other source material, about the government and people of Kediri.
According to Chou K'u-fei, people wore clothes that covered them down to their legs, with a loose hairstyle. Their houses were clean and well arranged with floors made from green or yellow cut stones. Agriculture, animal farming, and trading flourished and gained full attention from government. He reported that
silkworm farms to produce
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
and
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
clothes had been adopted by Javanese by that time. There was no physical punishment (jail or torture) of criminals. Instead, the people who committed unlawful acts were forced to pay fines in gold, except for thieves and robbers who were executed. In marital customs, the bride's family received some amount of
bride price
Bride price, bride-dowry ( Mahr in Islam), bride-wealth, or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dow ...
from the groom's family. Instead of developing medical treatment, the Kediri people relied on prayers to
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
.
On the 5th month of the year, a water festival was celebrated with people travelling in boats along the river to celebrate. On the 10th month, another festival was held in the mountains. People would gather there to have fun and perform music with instruments such as
flutes
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
,
drums, and wooden
xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...
s (an ancient form of
gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
).
The King wore
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
garments,
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...
shoes
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...
and ornate golden jewellery. He wore his hair up high on his head. Every day, he would receive state officials, managers of his kingdom, on a square throne. After an audience, the state official would bow three times to the king. If the king travelled outside the palace, he rode an
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
and was accompanied by 500–700 soldiers and officials while his subjects, the people of Kediri,
prostrated themselves as the king passed.
Economy
According to Chinese sources, the main occupations of the Kediri people revolved around agriculture (rice cultivation), animal farming (
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
,
boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
,
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...
), and the spice trade. Daha, the capital city of Kediri, (suggested to be at the same site as modern
Kediri) is located inland, near the fertile
Brantas river valley. From the predecessor kingdom of Airlangga's Kahuripan, Kediri inherited irrigation systems, including the Wringin Sapta dam. Kediri economy was partly monetised, with silver coins issued by the royal court.
In later periods, Kediri economy grew to rely more heavily on trade, especially the spice trade. This resulted from Kediri development of a navy, giving them the opportunity to control the spice trade routes to eastern islands. Kediri collected spices from tributaries in southern
Kalimantan and the
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...
.
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
ns and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
ns then transported the spices to
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
and
Chinese market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
s by way of the
Spice Route that linked a chain of ports from the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
to southern China.
Fall
The kingdom of Kediri collapsed during the reign of
Kertajaya, and is told in ''
Pararaton
The Pararaton (''Book of Kings''), also known as the Katuturanira Ken Angrok (''Story of Ken Angrok''), is a Javanese historical chronicle written in Kawi (Old Javanese). The comparatively short text of 32 folio-size pages (1126 lines) contains ...
'' and ''
Nagarakretagama
The ''Nagarakretagama'' or ''Nagarakṛtāgama'', also known as ''Desawarnana'' or ''Deśavarṇana'', is an Old Javanese eulogy to Hayam Wuruk, a Javanese king of the Majapahit Empire. It was written on lontar as a '' kakawin'' by Mpu Pr ...
''. In 1222
Kertajaya was fighting against the
brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
. Then the Brahmins asked for protection from
Ken Arok
Ken Arok (or Ken Angrok), Rajasa (died c. 1227), was the founder and first ruler of Singhasari (also spelled Singosari), a medieval Indianized Hindu–Buddhist kingdom in the East Java area of Indonesia. He is considered the founder of the Raja ...
akuwu
Tumapel Tumapel was the capital city of Singhasari (1222 - 1292) near the modern city of Malang. Prior to Singhasari, it was under Kediri Kingdom
Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Jav ...
. Incidentally
Ken Arok
Ken Arok (or Ken Angrok), Rajasa (died c. 1227), was the founder and first ruler of Singhasari (also spelled Singosari), a medieval Indianized Hindu–Buddhist kingdom in the East Java area of Indonesia. He is considered the founder of the Raja ...
also aspires to liberate
Tumapel Tumapel was the capital city of Singhasari (1222 - 1292) near the modern city of Malang. Prior to Singhasari, it was under Kediri Kingdom
Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Jav ...
which is Kadiri's subordinate area. The climax of the battle between Kadiri and
Tumapel Tumapel was the capital city of Singhasari (1222 - 1292) near the modern city of Malang. Prior to Singhasari, it was under Kediri Kingdom
Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Jav ...
occurred near the village of Ganter (Genter), in the eastern region of Kediri.
Ken Arok
Ken Arok (or Ken Angrok), Rajasa (died c. 1227), was the founder and first ruler of Singhasari (also spelled Singosari), a medieval Indianized Hindu–Buddhist kingdom in the East Java area of Indonesia. He is considered the founder of the Raja ...
's troops managed to destroy
Kertajaya's troops. Thus, the era of the Kediri Kingdom ended, which from then on became the vassal of
Tumapel Tumapel was the capital city of Singhasari (1222 - 1292) near the modern city of Malang. Prior to Singhasari, it was under Kediri Kingdom
Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Jav ...
or
Singhasari. After Ken Arok defeated Kertajaya, Kediri became an area under the rule of Singhasari. Ken Arok appointed Jayasabha, son of Kertajaya, as regent of Kediri. In 1258 the waning Jayasabha named Sastrajaya. In 1271 Sastrajaya faded into, namely
Jayakatwang
Jayakatwang (died 1293) was the king of short lived second Kingdom of Kediri (also known as Gelang-gelang Kingdom) of Java, after his overthrow of Kertanegara, the last king of Singhasari. He was eventually defeated by Raden Wijaya, Kertanegara ...
. In 1292, Jayakatwang rebelled against Singhasari led by
Kertanegara
Sri Maharajadiraja Sri Kertanegara Wikrama Dharmatunggadewa, Kritanagara, or Sivabuddha (died 1292), was the last and most important ruler of the Singhasari kingdom of Java, reigning from 1268 to 1292. Under his rule Javanese trade and power deve ...
, because of past grudges where his ancestor Kertajaya was defeated by Ken Arok. After successfully killing Kertanegara, Jayakatwang rebuilt the Kediri kingdom, but only lasted one year due to a combined attack launched by the
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
troops and the troops attacking Kertanegara,
Raden Wijaya.
Kediri during Majapahit period
According to Jiyu and Petak inscriptions, during the end of
Majapahit era in the 15th century, there was a brief resurrection of Daha (Kediri) as the centre of political power, which was led by
Girindrawardhana
Prabhu Natha Girindrawardhana Dyah Ranawijaya (born Ranawijaya) was the ruler of the Majapahit Empire between 1474 and 1498. He is referred in a Jiyu inscription as , which means ruler of Majapahit, Janggala and Kediri, and as Pa Bu Ta La in ...
in 1478 after he managed to defeat Kertabhumi. But it short lived since descendant of Kertabhumi who became ruler of
Demak
Demak is on the north coast of Central Java province, on the island of Java, Indonesia.
* Demak, Demak, modern-day large town
* Demak Sultanate, sixteenth century sultanate
* Demak Regency
Demak ( jv, ꦢꦼꦩꦏ꧀) is a regency located in t ...
crushed Daha in 1527.
Rulers of Kediri
''the era of twin kingdoms''
See also
*
List of monarchs of Java
This is a partial list of the identified hereditary rulers on the Indonesian island Java, and the adjacent island Madura.
Included are some states and rulers whose existence remain open to conjecture, due to inadequate historical evidence, while o ...
References
General
* Soekmono, R, Drs., ''Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2'', 2nd ed. Penerbit Kanisius, Yogyakarta, 1973, 5th reprint edition in 1988
Further reading
* Saidihardjo, Dr. M. Pd., A.M, Sardiman, Drs., ''
Sejarah untuk SMP'', Tiga Serangkai, Solo, 1987, 4th reprint edition in 1990
Notes
{{Authority control
History of Java
Precolonial states of Indonesia
Hindu Buddhist states in Indonesia
11th century in Indonesia
12th century in Indonesia
1042 establishments
Former kingdoms