History of Hindu Kingdom entering Indonesia

Do you know what religion is shared by the majority of the inhabitants of the island of Bali? Most of the inhabitants of the island of Bali are Hindus. Bali have a lot of ceremonies that are carried on for generations. Bali traditional ceremonies are famous throughout the world. These traditions are a cultural heritage of the past.

It is not known exactly when Hinduism entered Indonesia. Hinduism was brought by traders from India. Some of the traders settled in Indonesia. They married Indonesian citizens. The influence of Indian religion and culture is getting stronger in Indonesia. The evidence is as follows.

• Many residents converted to Hinduism after immigrants from India introduced Hinduism.
• Indonesian people were not familiar with the royal system. The system of government that existed at that time was a village government headed by a tribal chief. Position as head of the tribe is not inherited from generation to generation. Due to the influence of Hinduism, the village government system was replaced by a kingdom.
• The existence of typical Indian cultural products such as temple buildings, sculpture, relief art, and literary arts. In the field of Indian culture, literature introduces a culture of literacy in Pallawa letters and Sanskrit.

Hindu kingdoms in Indonesia

Hinduism brought from India is influential in Indonesia. One form is the emergence of Hindu kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Kutai, Tarumanegara, Kediri, Singasari, and Majapahit.

Kingdom of Kutai

Kutai is the oldest Hindu kingdom in Indonesia. The Kingdom of Kutai was founded around 400 BC. It is located on the banks of the Mahakam River, East Kalimantan. His first king was named Kudungga. The famous king is Mulawarman. Mulawarman worshiped Lord Shiva. In a ceremony, King Mulawarman presented 20,000 cows to the Brahmins. To commemorate the ceremony, a Yupa was established. In Yupa the news was written about the Kingdom of Kutai.

Kingdom of Tarumanegara

Tarumanegara is the oldest Hindu kingdom on the island of Java. This kingdom stood around the 5th century AD. The location of the kingdom is around Bogor, West Java. The famous king is Purnawarman. Purnawarman embraced Hinduism which worshiped Lord Vishnu. In the Purnawarman era, the Tarumanegara kingdom was able to make waterways taken from the Citarum river. The water channel serves to irrigate agricultural land and withstand flooding.

Kadiri (Kediri) Kingdom

The Kadiri Kingdom is located around Kali Berantas, East Java. The kingdom of Kadiri succeeded in the reign of King Kameswara who was entitled Sri Maharaja Sirikan Kameswara. Kameswara died in 1130. His successor was Jayabaya. Jayabaya is the biggest king of Kediri. He is so famous for his predictions called the Jayabaya Term. The last Raja Kediri was Kertajaya who died in 1222. In that year Kertajaya was defeated by Ken Arok in the Ganter Village of Malang.

Legacies of the Kingdom of Kadiri include the Panumbangan Inscription, the Palah Inscription, the Smaradhahana Book by Empu Dharmaja, the Hariwangsa Book by Empu Panuluh, the Krinayana Book by Empu Triguna, and Panataran Temple.

Singhasari (Singasari) Kingdom

The Singasari Kingdom is located in Singasari, East Java. Its extent covers the Malang area now. The Singasari Kingdom was founded by Ken Arok. He ruled 1222-1227 AD. His successors were Anusapati (1227-1248), Panji Tohjaya (1248), Ranggawuni (1248-1268), Kertanegara (1268 -1292).

Some relics of the greatness of Singasari include:

• Jago / Jajaghu Temple, as the tomb of Wishnuwardhana,
• Singasari Temple and Jawi Temple, as the tomb of Kertanegara,
• Candi Kidal, as the tomb of Anusapati's,
• Prajnaparamita statue, as a manifestation of Ken Dedes.

Majapahit kingdom

The peak of the glory of the Hindu kingdom in Indonesia was during the Majapahit kingdom. The Majapahit Kingdom is located in the forest of Tarik near the Berantas river delta, Mojokerto, East Java.

The kings who once ruled in the kingdom of Majapahit included:

• Raden Wijaya (1293-1309)
• Jayanegara (1309-1328)
• Tribuwanatunggadewi (1328-1350)
• Hayam Wuruk (1334-1389)
• Kusumawardhani-Wirakramawardhana (1389-1429)

The kingdom of Medang (Old Mataram)

The kingdom of Medang is under the command of a wise king, king Sanna. The famous king of the Mataram kingdom is Sanjaya. The Kingdom of Mataram left an inscription found in the Canggal area.

Thank you for visiting and reading the post I have made on this blog, hopefully, in my post, this time can provide knowledge and make your knowledge more broadly about the culture of Indonesia. Once again, thank you.