Sunday, September 04, 2011

Trowulan-heartbeat of the 13th to 15th century Majapahit Kingdom.

During the recent holiday break (30th, 31st August) I travelled to Mojokerto to visit several historic sites which includes Trowulan district. Trowulan was the capital city and heartbeat of the 13th to 15th century Majapahit Kingdom. Situated west of present-day town of Mojokerto on the river Brantas, latitude and longitude about 7° 32' 60S 112° 22' 0E; it occupies an area of approximately 9KM x 11KM and about 55 KM (34 mile) southeast of Surabaya City.


The city is about 57m (190 ft.) above sea level. Its location was not a mere afterthought, as this is a very rich agricultural area with a fairly-large population and large resources. Rich in agricultural produce, the common crops are rice and sugar canes. The Brantas River floats near the city. It rises in the highlands to the north west of town of Malang and follows a circuitous path before dividing into a number of smaller streams to meet the sea at Surabaya.


 Unfortunately there is not much left of the monuments and buildings from the Majapahit era today, as most of them were built of wood and stones that has broken over time. Nevertheless there are some smaller ruins in the area. One of the most famous is Candi Tikus (the Rat Temple). The moniker appeared simply because there were so many rat nests that appeared during the excavation. It is most likely to be a bathing place for the Queen and the royal family. Other ruins are mostly foundations and gates built by stone. Some of the larger structures have at least partially survived and are currently undergoing a reconstruction program.



It is now predominated by some fully-restored ‘Gapura’ or brick arches, buildings and traces of a well-patterned perpendicular city canals and ponds. 


P.S. I met a woman Lusy who said she is a 'Petualang' from a far away province. I gave her a hug!

3 comments:

  1. What is a "petualang" ? Careful brudder - don't go around hugging other peoples' wife....hehehe!!

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  2. PJB bro, please tell me what a "Petualang" is. I need to know so that I can understand the next time I go to Indonesia. I have turned down my Indonesian sub-con's invitation to visit him in Jogjakarta - very shy la!... he may get the wrong meaning that I refuse his hospitality.

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  3. "Petualang" is an 'Adventurer', Petualangan is your adventure.

    I describe this lady as an Adventurer instead of a 'Stray' - a person or animals wandering at large or is lost or to wander about without a destination.

    It is a Bahasa Melayu and the same with Bahasa Indonesia.

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