The Laksamana ( Jawi: ) is a position within the armed forces, similar to the position of

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

in Malay sultanates and in present-day countries like

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Since South East Asia was part of Indosphere of Greater India since earlier, during and after the Hinduised

Srivijaya Srivijaya (), also spelled Sri Vijaya, was a Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia) that influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important ...

empire, Hindu titles based on Sanskrit were used. The word Laksamana originated from '' Lakshmana'', a figure in the Hindu epic of Ramayana.

Malacca Sultanate

The ''Laksamana'' in the Malacca Sultanate was a key figure responsible for safeguarding the Sultanate’s maritime security, particularly along the vital China-India trade route in the Straits of Malacca, which was the lifeline of the empire. As the commander of the Malaccan fleet, the ''Laksamana'' held significant authority, outranked only by the '' Bendahara'' (prime minister) and the Sultan. In addition to his naval duties, the ''Laksamana'' also served in roles akin to a modern-day head of diplomatic affairs and vice

minister of war A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. The legendary '' Hikayat Hang Tuah'' records ''Laksamana'' Hang Tuah being sent on numerous diplomatic missions to destinations such as the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...

in South India,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Thailand 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 ...

, and even the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Similarly, the '' Rekidai Hoan'', an official record from the Ryukyu Kingdom, mentions a Malaccan diplomatic envoy led by "Lezoumana" or "Lo-hsi-ma-na", reflecting the ''Laksamana’s'' international significance. Historical sources, including the '' Suma Oriental'' and the '' Malay Annals'', identify only three named ''Laksamana'' during the Sultanate's history. Hang Tuah served under Sultan Mansur Shah, followed by Khoja Hussain and Hang Nadim, who served under Sultan Mahmud Shah.

Modern-day usage

Navy and coast guard

In modern times, the word refers to a rank in

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

(by the Royal Brunei Navy), in

(by the Indonesian Navy and Indonesian Maritime Security Agency) and in

(by the

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,2 ...

and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency). The common grades for "Laksamana" title are: # (, a five-star rank used by

) # (, a five-star rank used by Indonesian Navy) # (, a four-star rank) # (, "

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

", a three-star rank) # (, "

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

", a two-star rank) # (, a one-star rank,

or Commodore)

Usage other than as military title

In Brunei, Laksamana College of Business () is an accredited private university college established in 2003. The college also acted as a subsidiary college of the Kensington College of Business. In Indonesia, Laksamana mengamuk is a drink from Riau. This drink is made from mango mixed with coconut milk and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

. Usually served during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. In Malaysia, Laksamana class is a class of small

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

corvettes comprising four ships in service with the

. , All four ships of the Laksamana class are serving in the 24th Corvette Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy. In Philippines, ''Laksamana'', along with its Hispanicized forms ''Lacsamana'' and ''Laxamana'', is a

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

among the Pampangan people of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and their descendants.

References

History of Pampanga Indonesian Navy Military history of Malaysia Malay culture Military ranks of Indonesia {{SEAsia-hist-stub ms:Laksamana

Malacca Sultanate

Modern-day usage

Navy and coast guard

Usage other than as military title

See also

References