Everything about Gajah Mada totally explained
Gajah Mada (d. circa
1364) was, according to
Javanese old manuscripts,
poems and
mythology, a famous military leader and
prime minister (
mahapatih) of the
Majapahit Empire, credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. He delivered an oath called
Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing
spices until he'd conquered all of
Nusantara (External Link
). In modern
Indonesia he serves as an important national hero
(External Link) and
nationalistic symbol.
Rise to Mahapatih
Not much is known about Gajah Mada's early life. Some of the first accounts mention his career as commander of the
Bhayangkara, an elite guard for Majapahit kings and their family. When
Rakrian Kuti, one of the officials in Majapahit, rebelled against the Majapahit king
Jayanegara (ruled
1309-
1328) in
1321, Gajah Mada and the then-mahapatih
Arya Tadah helped the king and his family to escape the capital city of
Trowulan. Later Gajah Mada aided the king to return to the capital and crush the rebellion. Seven years later, Jayanegara was poisoned to death by
Rakrian Tanca, one of Rakrian Kuti's aides.
In another version, according to the
Nagarakretagama (a
Javanese language epic poem dating from the
14th century), and supported by inscriptions dating from the late
13th and early 14th century, Jayanagara was
assassinated by Gajah Mada in
1328. It is said
[] that Jayanagara was overprotective towards his two half sisters, born from
Kertarajasa's youngest queen,
Dyah Dewi Gayatri. Complaints by the two young princesses led to the intervention of Gajah Mada. His drastic solution was to arrange for a
surgeon to murder the king while pretending to perform an
operation.
Jayanegara was immediately succeeded by his sister
Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi (ruled
1328-
1350). It was under her leadership that Gajah Mada was appointed mahapatih in
1329, after the retirement of
Arya Tadah.
As mahapatih under Thribuwana Tunggadewi Gajah Mada went on to crush another rebellion by
Sadeng and
Keta in
1331.
It was during Gajah Mada's reign as mahapatih, around the year
1345, that the famous
Muslim traveller,
Ibn Battuta visited the Indonesian archipelago.
Sumpah Palapa
It is said that it was during his appointment as mahapatih under queen Tribhuwanatunggadewi that Gajah Mada took his famous oath,
Sumpah Palapa. The telling of the oath is described in the
Pararaton (Book of Kings), an account on
Javanese history that dates from the
15th or
16th century:
“Sira Gajah Mada pepatih amungkubumi tan ayun amukita palapa, sira Gajah Mada : Lamun huwus kalah nusantara ingsun amukti palapa, lamun kalah ring Gurun, ring Seram, Tanjungpura, ring Haru, ring Pahang, Dompo, ring Bali, Sunda, Palembang, Tumasik, samana ingsun amukti palapa “
"Gajah Mada, he the prime minister, said he won't taste any spice, said Gajah Mada : As long as I not unify Nusantara, I won't taste any spice. Before I conquer Gurun, Seram, Tanjungpura, Haru, Pahang, Dompo, Bali, Sunda, Palembang, Tumasik, I'll never taste any spice."
While often interpreted literally to mean that Gajah Mada wouldn't allow his food to be spiced, the oath is sometimes interpreted to mean that Gajah Mada would abstain from all earthly happiness until he conquered the entire known
archipelago for Majapahit.
Even his closest friends were at first doubtful of his oath, but Gajah Mada kept pursuing his dream to unify Nusantara under the glory of Majapahit. Soon he conquered the surrounding territory of
Bedahulu (
Bali) and
Lombok (
1343). He then sent the
navy westward to attack the remnants of the
thallassocrathic kingdom of
Sriwijaya in
Palembang. There he installed
Adityawarman, a Majapahit prince as vassal ruler of the
Minangkabau in
West Sumatra.
He then conquered the first Islamic
sultanate in
Southeast Asia,
Samudra Pasai, and another state in Swarnadwipa (
Sumatra). Gajah Mada also conquered
Bintan, Tumasik (
Singapore),
Melayu (now known as Jambi), and
Kalimantan.
At the resignation of the queen, Tribuwanatunggadewi, her son,
Hayam Wuruk (ruled
1350-
1389) became king. Gajah Mada retained his position as mahapatih under the new king and continued his
military campaign by expanding eastward into Logajah, Gurun,
Seram,
Hutankadali,
Sasak,
Makassar,
Buton,
Banggai, Kunir,
Galiyan,
Salayar,
Sumba, Muar (
Saparua),
Solor,
Bima, Wandan (
Banda),
Ambon,
Timor, and Dompo.
He thus effectively brought the archipelago under Majapahits's control, which spanned not only the territory of today's
Indonesia, but also that of
Singapore,
Malaysia,
Brunei and the southern
Philippines.
The Bubat Accident
In
1357, the only remaining state refusing to acknowledge Majapahit's supremacy was
Sunda, in
West Java, now bordering the Majapahit Empire. King Hayam Wuruk planned to marry
Dyah Pitaloka, a princess of Sunda and the daughter of Sunda's king. Gajah Mada was given the task to go to the village of
Bubat to welcome the princess as she arrived with her father and escort in Majapahit.
But while Sunda's King thought that the marriage was a sign of a new alliance between Sunda and Majapahit, Gajah Mada thought otherwise. He took it as a sign of submission of Sunda to Majapahit. This misunderstanding led to embarrassment and strife, which quickly rose into full scale
battle. The ensuing bloodshed saw the king and all of his guards killed in the fields of Bubat. Seeing this horror, the princess Dyah Pitaloka committed
suicide.
Hayam Wuruk was deeply shocked about the debacle. Gajah Mada was promptly demoted and spent the rest of his days in the estate of Madangkara in
Probolinggo in
East Java.
Gajah Mada died in obscurity in
1364. The power Gajah Mada had accumulated during his time as mahapatih king Hayam Wuruk now considered too much for a single person. The king split the responsibilities that had been Gajah Mada's between four separate new ministries, thereby probably increasing his own power. King Hayam Wuruk, who is said to have been a wise leader, was able to maintain the position Majapahit had gained during Gajah Mada's reign, but a slow decline started after Hayam Wuruk's death.
Legacy
Gajah Mada's legacy is highly visible in
Indonesia. In the early days of the republic, leaders such as
Sukarno cited Gajah Mada's oath as an ispiration and "proof" that the nation could unite, despite its vast territory and various cultures. Thus, Gajah Mada was a great inspiration during the
Indonesian National Revolution for independence from
Dutch colonization.
A state university,
Universitas Gadjah Mada, in
Yogyakarta is named after Gajah Mada. Indonesia's first
telecommunication satellite is called
Satelit Palapa signifying its role in uniting the country. Many cities in Indonesia have streets named after Gajah Mada.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gajah Mada'.
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