Majapahit Influence in Indonesia
Majapahit Influence The kingdom of Majapahit was an expansive kingdom that existed from about 1293 to the 1500s. The Majapahit empire was based on the island of what is now Java. During the years 1350 to 1389 under the reign of Hayam Wuruk, Majapahit experienced its golden years. Along with the kingdom of Sriwijaya, Majapahit is one of the last and largest kingdoms that ever existed in the regions of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. With its vastness and power comes great influence, and this essay will discuss the influences of the Majapahit kingdom to the modern world. For further study of the Majapahit kingdom, I went to the National Museum (Museum Nasional) to immerse myself in more advanced study regarding this very intriguing part in history. The museum, located in Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat no. 12, Jakarta Pusat was simply fascinating. On the exterior of the museum, there is a statue of an elephant, which was given by the King of Thailand as a gift. The interior of the museum was equally fascinating, with many artifacts and information of the key-points in the rich history of the archipelago of Indonesia. With so many equally interesting artifacts to choose from, I finally narrowed down the results and chose one object. The item I selected as my object of study is a statue. It is made of stone which is dark gray in color. Its size is large, and is about the size of myself. The artifact depicts what is believed to be Patih Gajah Mada. Gajah Mada was believed to be a military leader or prime minister of the Majapahit kingdom during its golden years. An interesting fact that I learned how to identify whether a statue is from the Majapahit era or not. According to the tour guide, most of the statues, especially those of the Hindu gods and goddesses, have lotus carvings engraved on its sides. This is an influence from the kingdom that preceded Majapahit, the Singosari kingdom. Also, in Majapahit statues, the lotus flowers are pictured planted in vases, which is