Kameçvara or Kameçwara also known as Kameshwara was the eighth monarch of

Kediri Kingdom Kediri Kingdom or Kadiri, also known as Panjalu, was a Hindu-Buddhist Javanese people, Javanese kingdom based in East Java from 1042 until 1222 (1292–1293 under Jayakatwang). This kingdom is centered in the ancient city ''Dahanapura'', des ...

and ruled circa 1182–1194. His formal stylized name was Çri Maharaja Rake Sirikan çri Kameçvara Sakalabhuvanatustikarana Sarvanivaryyaviryya Parakrama Digjayottunggadeva in addition, during the reign of Sri Kameswara, a poet named Mpu Dharmaja wrote Kakawin Smaradahana, which contains the story of the birth of

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), 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 the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

, the elephant-headed god who became the symbol ''Lanchana'' (royal seal) of his reign and of the

as stated in the inscriptions. Tradition mentioned King Kameshwara as a man of prowess and a strikingly handsome man. His name derived from ''Kama-

ishvara ''Ishvara'' () is a concept in Hinduism, with a wide range of meanings that depend on the era and the school of Hinduism. Monier Monier Williams, Sanskrit-English dictionarySearch for Izvara, University of Cologne, Germany In ancient texts of ...

'', another name of

Kamadeva Kamadeva (, ), also known as Kama, Manmatha, and Madana is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of Eroticism, erotic love, carnal desire, attraction, pleasure and beauty, as well as the personification of the concept of ''kāma''. He is depicted as a ...

, the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

god of love and desire. His

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

Çri Kirana was also mentioned as a woman with extraordinary beauty. Kameshvara was the prince of Kediri, while Çri Kirana was the princess of

Kahuripan Kahuripan (also spelled 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 10 ...

. The royal marriage between Kameshwara and Kirana was celebrated as the reunification of Java, between Kediri (Panjalu) and

( Janggala), marking the reunification of former

Airlangga Airlangga (also spelled Erlangga), regnal name Rakai Halu Sri Lokeswara Dharmawangsa Airlangga Anantawikramottunggadewa (born 1002 in Bali, Indonesia – died 1049 in Java), was the only king of the Kingdom of Kahuripan. The Kingdom was bui ...

's kingdom. In 1194 Kameshwara was succeeded by King Kertajaya.

In Smaradhana and Panji cycles

During his reign, Mpu Dharmaja composed an adoration epic poem ''

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 Kameshwara, Kameçvara o ...

'', 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 story of royal couple has inspired the famous tales of love and adventure known as Panji cycle. Kameshwara was mentioned as Raden Inu (Hino) Kertapati, while his consort Sri Kirana was mentioned as Dewi Sekartaji. However, in this tales the kingdoms was curiously switched from the historical figure, Kirana was mentioned as the princess of Kediri, while Inu Kertapati was mentioned as the prince of Kahuripan (''Koripan''). The Panji tales spread throughout Southeast Asia as far as

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

as the tales of prince ''Inao'' or ''Egnao''.

References

* Soekmono, R, Drs., ''Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2'', 2nd ed. Penerbit Kanisius, Yogyakarta, 1973, 5th reprint edition in 1988 {{s-end Maharajas of Kediri Indonesian Hindu monarchs History of East Java 12th-century Indonesian people id:Kameswara