Oceania · Classical Hindu-Buddhist Java and Bali
Singhasari
1222–1292
Singhasari (Singosari, also Tumapel) was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom in East Java, near modern Malang, that succeeded Kediri as the dominant power. It was founded by Ken Arok (Ken Angrok, b. 1182, d. 1227), whose rise from humble origins is one of Java's most famous sagas (told in the Pararaton and the legend of the cursed keris of Mpu Gandring).
- Existed
- 1222–1292
- Shown on the map
- 1227–1293
- Peak area
- 79k km²
- Region
- Oceania
Overview
Singhasari (Singosari, also Tumapel) was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom in East Java, near modern Malang, that succeeded Kediri as the dominant power. It was founded by Ken Arok (Ken Angrok, b. 1182, d. 1227), whose rise from humble origins is one of Java's most famous sagas (told in the Pararaton and the legend of the cursed keris of Mpu Gandring). A servant of Tunggul Ametung, the akuwu (district chief) of Tumapel, Ken Arok murdered him, married his widow Ken Dedes, and in 1222 defeated Kertajaya of Kediri at the Battle of Ganter, founding the Rajasa dynasty — ancestral to the Singhasari and Majapahit lines.
Decline and legacy
The succession was steeped in blood: Ken Arok (1222–1227) was assassinated by Anusapati (1227–1248), Tunggul Ametung's posthumous son avenging his father; Anusapati was killed by Tohjaya (1248); then came Wisnuwardhana (c. 1248/1250–1268) and finally Kertanegara (1268–1292), the last and greatest king. Kertanegara pursued an ambitious pan-Nusantara vision: he launched the Pamalayu expedition to Sumatra (1275) and defied the Mongol Yuan envoys of Kublai Khan (reportedly disfiguring one), provoking the Mongol invasion of Java. In 1292, before the Mongols arrived, Kertanegara was killed by Jayakatwang of Kediri; his son-in-law Raden Wijaya escaped, exploited the Mongol landing, and founded Majapahit in 1293. Singhasari's temple legacy is rich: Candi Singhasari, Kidal (dedicated to Anusapati), and Jawi; Kertanegara was memorialized as Siwa-Buddha, embodied in the Joko Dolog statue now in Surabaya.
Common questions
- What was Singhasari?
- Singhasari (Singosari, also Tumapel) was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom in East Java, near modern Malang, that succeeded Kediri as the dominant power. It was founded by Ken Arok (Ken Angrok, b. 1182, d. 1227), whose rise from humble origins is one of Java's most famous sagas (told in the Pararaton and the legend of the cursed keris of Mpu Gandring).
- When did Singhasari exist?
- Singhasari existed 1222–1292. On this map it is drawn 1227–1293.
- How large was Singhasari?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Singhasari covered about 79,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- How did Singhasari end?
- The succession was steeped in blood: Ken Arok (1222–1227) was assassinated by Anusapati (1227–1248), Tunggul Ametung's posthumous son avenging his father; Anusapati was killed by Tohjaya (1248); then came Wisnuwardhana (c. 1248/1250–1268) and finally Kertanegara (1268–1292), the last and greatest king.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia article for each polity and its key rulers as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, museum and UN sources, Pacific news organisations, and the scholarship of Ricklefs, Andaya, Coedès, Carey, Sri Margana and Smith & Smith. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Singhasari en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singhasari
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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