East Java: contemporary sources

There are two major Javanese chronicles that deal with East Java during the Singasari and Majapahit dynasties. These are the Pararaton and the Nagarakrtagama. The Pararaton manuscript narrates the history of the kings of Java, beginning with the birth of Ken Angrok who then became the king of Singosari, and continuing through to the Majapahit period. 

The Nagarakrtagama 

The Nagarakrtagama was written by Mpu Prapanca, the pen-name of the Superintendent of Buddhist Affairs (dharmadhyaksa kasogatan) under king Rajasanagara (= Hayam Wuruk). The work was completed in 1365.  The work is a narrative comprising of 98 songs (or cantos) that are composed in a type of Javanese verse form called kakawin. The Nagarakrtagama was originally known as the Desawarnana. The text is difficult to understand for readers in this or the past century, and the various translators of the text have often given it different interpretations. This is inevitable, as the text was written for contemporary readers, so that much was understood then that is not now. Comparison with the Pararaton, which was based on different sources, in some cases provides confirmation of certain events. 

The Nagarakrtagama is an entertaining account of life during the reign of the most successful King of the Majapahit Dynasty. It covers the genealogy of the royal family, describes the capital in lively way, discusses affairs of state and takes the reader on an official tour of the King during which the author, himself a high official, discharges the necessary business. Below is the summary of the contents adapted from Robson (1995) in turn based on the 15 chapters proposed by Pigeaud in 1960. These give a good sense of the contents of the work. 

Mounted: 11-Feb-06

Mounted on 13-Feb-06. Latest update: