Suhita or Soheeta (died 1447), was a Javanese

queen regnant A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...

and the sixth monarch of the

Majapahit empire Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesia). At its greatest ...

, ruling from 1429 to 1447.

Early life and succession

She was the daughter of King Wikramawardhana (formally Bhra Hyang Wisesa), her predecessor. Her mother was strongly possibly his principal wife, Kusumawardhani seeing that her name was written without prefixes ''rabi anom'', ''rabi haji'', or ''rabi ksatria'' usually used to refer a son or daughter of a concubine. If so, her parents as well as the king and the queen were first cousins. She had two older brothers: Hyang Wekas ing Sukha, and 2nd Prince of Tumapel also a younger brother: Dyah Kertawijaya. Both of her older brothers died during the reign of Wikramawardhana. As he died in 1429,

Pararaton The ''Pararaton'' (''Book of Kings''), also known as the ''Katuturanira Ken Angrok'' (''Story of Ken Angrok''), is a 16th-century Javanese historical chronicle written in Kawi language, Kawi (Old Javanese). The comparatively short text of 32 f ...

reported that the empire was ruled by a queen regnant or ''prabhu stri''. Suhita was the woman suspected. Later, she was succeeded by her younger brother Dyah Kertawijaya by the regnal name King Wijayaparakramawardhana.

Personal life

Suhita was arranged to marry her close relative, Prince Ratnapangkaja. He was son of Surawardhani and Ranamanggala Dyah Sumirat. He was whose mother was Suhita's paternal aunt, and father was a son of Dyah Sotor, Hayam Wuruk's agnatic half-brother.

Legend

The Damarwulan legend is associated with her reign, as it involves a maiden queen (Prabu Kenya in the story), and during Suhita's reign, there was a war with Blambangan as in the legend. A notable monumental sculpture found in Tulungagung Regency,

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third 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 border its northern ...

has been identified by some authors as of Suhita. She is dressed in royal attire, including ear pendants, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and pendants hung from several girdles. In her right hand, she holds a lotus bud, which symbolizes deceased royalty in transformation. Jan Fontein, R. Soekmono, and Satyawati Suleiman. ''Ancient Indonesian Art of the Central and Eastern Javanese Periods'', New York: Asia Society Inc., 1971, p. 146-147.

Ancestry

Notes

Monarchs of Majapahit Queens regnant in Indonesia Indonesian Hindu monarchs Javanese monarchs 1447 deaths 15th-century queens regnant Year of birth unknown 15th-century monarchs in Asia 15th-century Indonesian women 15th-century Hindus Daughters of kings {{Indonesia-bio-stub