Gajah Mada — The Great Leader of Majapahit Kingdom
Gajah Mada is a Mahapatih of the Majapahit Kingdom
Mahapatih is like a prime minister
If we talk about Indonesian history, then the name of the Majapahit kingdom cannot be separated
Because of the Majapahit Kingdom, the archipelago kingdoms in Indonesia were united
In the past, the name of this archipelagic country was called Nusantara
but by the Palapa oath uttered by Gajah Mada, all the archipelagic countries in the archipelago were united under the rule of the Majapahit kingdom
Who is Gajah Mada?
Gajah Mada is estimated to have been born in 1290 and died in 1364
He has another name, Jirnodhara but his origin about him is not clear.
Not many records have been found about this man
Several stories say that his father is named Gajah Pangon
Gajah Pagon accompanied Raden Wijaya when he fought against Jayakatwang from the Kediri kingdom
The meaning of the name Gajah Mada
The elephant is a very large animal that is feared by other animals
In Hindu mythology, the elephant is the animal that was ridden by the God Indra
while Mada means drunk
So the meaning of Gajah Mada is a drunk elephant
this name describes how scary it is if an elephant gets drunk and walks around destroying everything it meets
Description of the nature of the name Gajah Mada
He considered himself the vehicle of the king, the executor of the king’s orders, just as the elephant Airawata became the vehicle of the god Indra.
He is a person who seems drunk and violent when faced with various obstacles that will hinder the progress of the kingdom.
It is the right choice of name and it seems that the name has been carefully thought out its meaning before being used for his name
As we know names are not just for calling but also have meanings that affect the lives of people who have that name
Palapa Oath
When he was appointed Mahapatih in the Majapahit kingdom in 1258 Saka (1334 AD)
He took an oath called the Palapa Oath
This oath reads that he will not eat and drink (partying) before uniting all the kingdoms in the archipelago
The following is the oath in the original language taken from the book of Pararaton
“ Sira Gajah Mada pepatih amungkubumi tan ayun amukti palapa
sira Gajah Mada: Lamun huwus kalah nusantara ingsun amukti palapa,
lamun kalah ring Gurun, ring Seram, Tañjungpura, ring Haru, ring Pahang, Dompu, ring Bali, Sunda, Palembang, Tumasik, samana ingsun amukti palapa “
Which if interpreted in simple terms
“He, Gajah Mada as the governor of Amangkubumi did not want to break the fast,
Gajah Mada said that if I had defeated (controlled) the archipelago,
I (will) break the fast, if I had defeated the Desert, Seram, Tanjung Pura, Haru, Pahang, Dompu, Bali, Sunda, Palembang, Tumasik, that’s how I (just about to) break my fast
# Fasting here means eating and drinking (partying)
The unification of the archipelago
Gajah Mada carried out the politics of unification of the archipelago for 21 years, namely between 1336 and 1357.
The content of the political program was to subjugate countries outside the Majapahit territory, especially countries across the ocean,
namely the Desert (Lombok), Seram, and Tanjung Pura (Kalimantan). ), Haru (North Sumatra), Pahang (Malaya), Dompo, Bali, Sunda, Palembang (Sriwijaya), and Tumasik (Singapore).
In fact, in Nagarakretagama Pupuh 13 and 14 the names of countries mentioned are far more than those stated in the Nusantara oath.
Bubat War
Bubat War is an epic story of one of the biggest wars in the history of the kingdoms of Indonesia
It is said that this war began with the marriage of King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit with Dyah Pitaloka of the kingdom of Pajajaran
Pajajaran is a kingdom in West Java, while Majapahit is in East Java
at that time the kingdom of Pajajaran had not been conquered by the Majapahit kingdom
The marriage was then used by Gajah Mada to provoke war
The way is to ask the king of Pajajaran (father of Dyah Pitaloka) to bow down to worship Hayam Wuruk
Of course, this request made the king of Pajajaran angry but this is what Gajah Mada wants
Finally, there was a war in the Bubat area that’s why this event is called the Bubat war
Gajah Mada won this war and the king of Pajajaran died in this battle
But the death of the king of Pajajaran made Dyah Pitaloka sad and angry and finally decided to die by suicide
Gajah Mada’s Exile
The death of Dyah Pitaloka made King Hayam Wuruk very disappointed and sad
Because of his disappointment with Gajah Mada, he began to isolate him,
He is no longer given the role and power and it makes him miserable and restless
In the end, he secluded himself in a cave
Near the cave, there is a waterfall called Madakaripura waterfall
At the Madakaripura waterfall, the story of Gajah Mada ends
Some say he died but some say he moksa (disappeared)
By the way, the story about the Madakaripura waterfall I have written in the previous article
The name Madakaripura is also taken from his name
To this day, Gajah Mada is still remembered as one of the greatest figures in the history of the founding of the Indonesian state
