Hi, Mudalovers, this time we will discuss the history of the Kutai Kingdom. Wow, it’s definitely familiar, Mudalovers. Especially considering that when we were in junior high and high school, material about kingdoms in Indonesia was discussed.
So, now we will learn more about one of the kingdoms in Indonesia, namely Kutai. The Kutai Kingdom is the oldest Hindu kingdom located in East Kalimantan close to the Mahakam River.
This kingdom is estimated to have been founded around the 4th century AD or 400 AD. Apart from that, this kingdom had very good trade relations with India, so the spread of Hinduism occurred through trade routes. Come on, Mudalovers, let’s take a closer look at the discussion below!
Founder of the Kutai Kingdom
The Kutai Kingdom, which is known as the oldest Hindu kingdom in Indonesia, is a kingdom that has a long history as the forerunner to the birth of other kingdoms in Indonesia. The name Kutai itself became known to mythology experts after the discovery of an inscription, namely Yupa. Yupa inscriptions are identified as original relics of Hindu and Buddhist influences which use Sanskrit with Pallawa letters.
From this inscription the name of King Kudungga was discovered as the founder of the Kutai Kingdom. The name Maharaja Kudungga is interpreted by historians as an original Indonesian name that has not been influenced by the Indian language. Meanwhile, his descendants, such as Raja Mulawarman and Aswawarman, are thought to have had a large influence on Hindu culture from India.
This is because the word “Warman” at the end of each name comes from Sanskrit which is commonly used by the people of southern India. This is what causes many people to say that the Kutai Kingdom is a Hindu kingdom with a strong Indian cultural influence. It is not surprising that the pattern of life at that time also resembled the life of Hindu kingdoms in India.
Furthermore, from the Yupa Inscription it is also known the names of the kings who ruled the Kutai Kingdom after the death of the founder, namely 20 generations as follows:
- Maharaja Kudungga, posthumous title Dewawarman (as founder)
- Maharaja Aswawarman (son of King Kudungga)
- Maharaja Mulawarman (as a famous king)
- Maharaja Marawijaya Warman
- Maharaja Gajayana Warman
- Maharaja Tungga Warman
- Maharaja Jayanaga Warman
- Maharaja Nalasinga Warman
- Maharaja Gadingga Warman Dewa
- Maharaja Indra Warman Dewa
- Maharaja Sangga Warman Dewa
- Maharaja Chandravarman
- Maharaja Sri Lanka Dewa
- Maharaja Guna Parana Dewa
- Maharaja Wijaya Warman
- Maharaja Sri Aji Dewa
- Maharaja Mulia Putera
- Maharaja Nala Pandita
- Maharaja Indra Paruta Dewa
- Maharaja Dharma Setia
Of these 20 generations, the famous king was King Mulawarman. However, after the legacy of King Kudungga, Kutai was led by Aswawarman. Aswawarman’s reign did not last long and he was replaced by his son, Mulawarman.
Time of Kutai Kingdom Success
The glory during the reign of King Mulawarman was written in the Yupa Inscription. In the inscription it is said that Mulawarman had carried out a very large gold sacrifice ceremony. The gold was distributed to the people, apart from that it was also used as an offering to the gods.
Furthermore, the heyday of Mulawarman’s reign is not only marked by written evidence in the Yupa Inscription. There were many aspects that pushed the kingdom to reach its golden age. If seen from several other aspects, they are as follows:
1. Social Aspect
Social life in this kingdom is characterized by the presence of many educated groups. This educated group masters Sanskrit and Pallawa letters. These groups are the Brahmin and Kshatriya groups. The knight group consisted of relatives of King Mulawarman at that time.
This is proven by the blessing ceremony for someone who embraces Hinduism. Where the Brahmins use Sanskrit which is often used in certain traditional processions, but is difficult to learn. Therefore, it can be concluded that at that time, Brahmins had high intellectual abilities.
2. Political Aspects
During the reign of King Mulawarman, political stability was maintained. The political system is a powerful force in leading a kingdom. It is also mentioned in the Yupa Inscription that King Mulawarman was said to be a powerful, strong and wise king.
The content of the Yupa Inscription is clear: “The very noble Maharaja Kudungga had a noble son, named Aswawarman, he was like the Ansuman (Sun God) by growing a very noble family. The Aswawarman had three sons, like three sacred fires. The most prominent of the three sons was Mulawarman, a good, strong and wise king. The Mulawarman had held a feast with a lot of gold. It was because of the feast that this stone monument was erected by the Brahmins.” From here we can find out the political power of King Mulawarman. He was so strong that the people and the Brahmin group also erected monuments as proof that he was very powerful at that time.
3. Economic Aspect
The kingdom’s location close to the Mahakam River made it very easy for its people to grow crops. This is the main source of income, while others prefer to raise cattle and trade. This is proven by the existence of written relics which say that King Mulawarman once gave 20,000 cows to the Brahmins.
Apart from that, the Kutai Kingdom also implemented a prize withdrawal system that had to be given to the king for foreign traders who wanted to trade in the Kutai area. Giving gifts usually takes the form of expensive items or tribute which is considered a tax. Therefore, Kutai gets a lot of income from various sources.
4. Religious Aspects
The life of the Kutai people is very strong in their belief in their ancestors. This is proven by the Yupa Inscription which is shaped like a stone monument. If we look at its origins, the stone monument itself is a relic of our ancestors from the Megalithic Age.
Then there are menhirs and stone steps, apart from that, the Yupa inscription mentions a holy place of worship called Waprakeswara (place of worship of the god Shiva). Therefore, it is believed that the King as a follower of the Shiva Hindu religion mixed with the Brahmin group. Meanwhile, the people were freed to embrace Hinduism in other sects.
This period of glory did not last long, after King Mulawarman died, Kutai experienced many changes in leadership. Until finally this kingdom collapsed, during the leadership of King Dharma Setia. It has been reported that King Dharma Setia was killed by the ruler of the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom, namely Prince Anum Panji Mandapa in the 13th century AD.
It should be noted that the Kutai Kartanegara kingdom is different from the Kutai Kingdom led by Mulawarman. The Kingdom of Kutai Kartanegara is located in Tanjung Kute. Then this kingdom was mentioned in the Negarakertagama Book in 1365.
Subsequently, in its development, the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom became an Islamic kingdom called the Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate. This was the beginning of the collapse of Kutai Mulawarman, also known as Kutai Martadipura. Subsequently, power was taken over by the Kutai Kertanegara Sultanate.
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Heritage of the Kutai Kingdom
The important and famous relics of the Kutai Kingdom are the seven Yupa inscriptions which are inscribed with pallawa letters in Sanskrit. This inscription tells many stories about the history of the Kutai Royal family. Yupa itself is an auxiliary monument about 1 meter high which is embedded in the ground, similar to a large pole.
On the bottom surface, the Kutai inscription is engraved as the oldest kingdom in Indonesia. It is believed that the intention of the previous person to write this sentence was to introduce his kingdom. Apart from that, Yupa itself has a function as a stele, animal binding post, and a symbol of the king’s greatness.
The contents of the seven Yupa which have been translated by experts are as follows:
- Contains the genealogy of kings who once ruled and had power in Kutai.
- The strategic location of the Kutai Kingdom is located downstream of the Mahakam River, namely Muara Kaman.
- The spread of Hinduism during the reign of King Aswawarman.
- Aswawarman is said to be the founder of the kingdom with his title “Wangsekerta”.
- The territory of the written kingdom covers the entire area of East Kalimantan.
- Tells about the safe and prosperous living conditions in Kutai.
- Tells the story of the goodness and power of King Mulawarman who donated 20,000 cows to the Brahmins.
The founding of the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom
After the end of the reign of the Kutai Martadipura (Mulawarman) Kingdom, the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom was established. This kingdom was founded in Tanjung Kue, East Kalimantan. However, currently the location of the kingdom is known, only bushes and ancient tombs which are believed to be sacred tombs remain.
The Kingdom of Kutai Kartanegara is also mentioned in the saga of the sand kings and the pararaton book. In addition, the community’s story about this kingdom is written in the book Salasilah Kutai. That is a book or book in Malay Arabic to tell the life of the kings at that time.
The story of the Kutai Kingdom begins with a sail-sewing tribal chief who had problems because he had not been blessed with children after being married for a long time. Then he magically got a golden ball in which there was a boy. Then the child was given the name Aji Batara Agung Dewa Sakti.
At the same time, the head of the upstream hamlet also found a girl who was in the foam of the Mahakam River. This girl was then given the name Putri Karang Melenu or Putri Junjung Buih. The two children, namely Aji Batara and Putri Melenu, when they were adults, married and gave birth to offspring.
His descendant was a boy known as Aji Paduka Nira. After his child was born, Aji Batara finally decided to take a long journey to Java, namely the Majapahit Kingdom. Unfortunately, because she was left for too long, Princess Melenu couldn’t bear to live alone, so she threw herself into the Mahakam River.
After his return, Aji Batara was sad to find out that his wife was gone. Finally he did the same thing by throwing himself into the Mahakam River like his wife. After his parents died, Aji Paduka Nira became the second legitimate king to lead the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom.
Aji Paduka Nira finally married a princess named Putri Paduka Suri. From this marriage, 7 children were born. Namely, 5 boys and 2 girls.
It is known that his wife is a descendant of the Kutai Martadipura Kingdom (Mulawarman). He is the son of Raja Guna Perana Tungga, a descendant of the 20th generation. After marriage, his name was known as Putri Paduka Suri, while his real name was Indra Perwati Dewi.
One of the goals of this marriage was to strengthen the political power of the kingdom. However, many concluded that this marriage was only to avoid disputes between the two kingdoms. After his leadership period was over, the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom was led by Maharaja Sultan.
To expand his knowledge and power, Maharaja Sultan went to Majapahit to gain knowledge. After his return from Majapahit, Maharja Sultan married Aji Paduka Sari and was blessed with a child named Mandarsyah. It didn’t last long, finally his father’s leadership was handed over to his son, namely Raja Mandarsyah.
At the age of 4, his father died. Therefore, he was crowned king after coming of age as the sole legitimate heir. However, King Mandrasyah was not blessed with children during his reign. So he had to hand over his leadership to Tumenggung Baya-Baya, until the end the leadership continued to change with new successors.
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Lineage of the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom
The Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom is a kingdom that has a long pedigree. This is also due to the development and transition of a period of change in beliefs, namely Hinduism to Islam. Therefore, this kingdom is also known as a sultanate. The following is the genealogy of the leadership of the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom:
- Aji Batara Agung Dewa Sakti 1300-1325 AD
- Aji Batara Agung Paduka Nira 1325-1360 AD
- Maharaja Sultan 1360-1420 AD
- King Mandarsyah 1420-1475 AD
- Princeg Tumenggung Bayabaya 1475-1545 AD
- King Makota 1454-1610 AD
- Aji Violated 1610-1635 AD
- Prince Sinum Panji Mendapa Ing Martadipura 1635-1650 AD
- Prince Dipati Agung Ing Martadipura 1650-1665 AD
- Prince Dipati Maja Kusuma Ing Martadipura 1665-1686 AD
- Aji Ragi Titled Great Queen 1686-1700 AD
- Prince Dipati Tua Ing Martadipura 1700-1710 AD
- Prince Anum Panji Mendapa Ing Martadipura 1710-1735 AD
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris 1735-1778 AD
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Aliyeddin 1778-1780 M
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Muslihuddin 1780-1816 AD
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Salehuddin 1816-1845 AD
- Trusteeship Council 1845-1850 CE
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman 1850-1899 AD
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Alimuddin 1899-1910 AD
- Prince Mangkunegoro 1910-1920 AD
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Parikesit 1920-1960 AD
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Conclusion
Mudalovers, after reading the discussion above, of course we know more about the long history of the Kutai Kingdom. As we have read before, Kutai is the oldest Hindu kingdom in Indonesia. It is located in East Kalimantan, close to the Mahakam River.
The Kutai Kingdom was founded by Kudungga, a person who was initially considered a tribal chief. As time went by, the successor of the Kutai Kingdom, namely Kudungga’s son, Aswawarman, established a royal system in Kutai. Until the heyday of Kutai, which was led by Raja Mulawarman, one of Aswawarman’s sons.
All the stories and heritage of Kutai are told in a stone monument called the Yupa Prasasti. Finally, Kutai Mulawarman collapsed at the hands of Kutai Kartanegara. Well, Mudalovers, we have finished our discussion regarding the Kutai Kingdom.