Girindrawardhana

Prabhu Natha Girindrawardhana Dyah Ranawijaya (born Ranawijaya and styled Brawijaya VI) was the ruler of the Majapahit Empire between 1478 and 1489. He is referred in a Jiyu inscription as Sri Wilwatikta Jenggala Kediri, which means ruler of Majapahit, Janggala and Kediri, and as Pa Bu Ta La in Chinese literature.[1]

Girindrawardhana Dyah Ranawijaya
Brawijaya VI
Reign	1478–1489
Predecessor	Kertabhumi
Successor	Udara
Born	Trowulan, Java
Died	1489 Daha, Java
Father	Singhavikramavardhana
Religion	Buddhism

Background

Ranawijaya was born in Trowulan (also called Wilwatikta) to King Singhawikramawardhana during a time of upheaval and decline across the Empire. In 1468 Prince Kertabhumi rebelled against King Singhawikramawardhana and captured Trowulan. The king moved to Daha, the former capital of Kadiri, where he died. Thus when Ranawijaya ascended the throne in 1474, the empire was divided.[2]

Early Rule

For the first four years, Ranawijaya ruled from Daha in a climate of increasing conflict between Daha and Trowulan. This culminated in Perang Sudarma Wisuta, meaning the war between father and son, in 1478.

In 1478, Ranawijaya's army under Udara attacked the defences at Trowulan. Raden Patah of Demak sent reinforcements under Sunan Ngudung. According to Babad Tanah Jawi, Raden Patah was the son of Kertabhumi and a Chinese concubine.[3] Sunan Ngudung died in the battle and was replaced by Sunan Kudus, but the army managed to turn back Ranawijaya's forces. However, they did not stop Udara's troops storming the palace and killing Kertabhumi.[4]

Later Rule

With the death of Kertabhumi, Ranawijaya was now undisputed ruler of Majapahit.[5] He styled himself Girindrawardhana and Brawijaya VI, the latter to show continuity with his predecessors back to Kritavijaya in 1447. In the Trailokyapuri Jiwu and Petak inscriptions, Girindrawardhana claims that he reunited Majapahit as one kingdom.[6] In the Jiyu inscription, he is referred to as Sri Wilwatikta Jenggala Kediri, which means ruler of Majapahit, Janggala and Kediri in 1486. However, his power was substantially smaller than his predecessors. Raden Patah named himself the Sultan of Demak and ceased paying homage to the Brawijaya. From that time, the Demak Sultanate rose to become the dominant force in Java.[7]

Demak continued to fight Girindrawardhana. As they claimed descent from Kertabumi, Raden Patah and his successor Pati Unus fought Girindrawardhana in retribution for his death.[6] This conflict undermined the thriving economy,

In 1489, the vice-regent and successful general, Udara, deposed Girindrawardhana, naming himself Brawijaya VII.

References

1. Muljana, Slamet (2005). Runtuhnya Kerajaan Hindu-Jawa dan Timbulnya Negara-Negara Islam di Nusantara (in Indonesian). Jakarta: PT LKiS Pelangi Aksara. p. 68.
2. Prawirayuda, Pandji R. (1989). Babad Majapahit dan Para Wali (Volume 3) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Proyek Penerbitan Buku Sastra Indonesia dan Daerah.
3. Olthof, W.L. (2007). Babad Tanah Jawi, Mulai dari Nabi Adam Sampai Tahun 1647 (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Narasi.
4. Djafar, Hasan (1978). Girīndrawarddhana: Beberapa Masalah Majapahit Akhir (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Yayasan Dana Pendidikan Buddhis Nalanda. p. 50.
5. de Graaf, H.J.; Pigeaud, T.H. (2001). Kerajaan Islam Pertama di Jawa (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pustaka Utama Grafiti.
6. Poesponegoro, Marwati Djoened; Notosusanto, Nugroho (1990). Sejarah Nasional Indonesia Jilid II (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Balai Pustaka. p. 448–451.
7. Ricklefs, Merle Calvin (1993). A History of Modern Indonesia Since c. 1300 (2nd edition). Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Girindrawardhana
Preceded by Brawijaya V	Ruler of Majapahit 1478–1489	Succeeded by Brawijaya VII