Majapahit Kingdom, Architectural Fragment, XIV Th Century

important volcanic tuff sculpture depicting a village scene under intricate foliage. It is rare to find sculptures of this size. The Majapahit empire flourished between circa 1293 and circa 1500/1513 in East Java. Wherever there is a kingdom, there will be rich people who have servants. The servants do the most thankless work imaginable, although I know from personal experience that serving tables and working at a gas station aren't much fun either! The deeply carved Majapahit reliefs are as elegantly detailed as those of the stupa reliefs at Borobudur in Central Java, although slightly more stylized, particularly the foliage in the garden. It is generally believed that the first inhabitants of the Indonesian archipelago were of Indian or Burmese origin. Later migrants, known as Malays, came from southern China and Indochina around 3000 BCE. From the earliest period, the Javanese established trade with India and China. Before the arrival of Buddhism and Hinduism in Java, the native inhabitants practiced a form of animism. Hinduism was introduced from India through trade during the first 100 years of our era. Hindu kingdoms were established in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java between the 400s and the 1200s, some of which had also absorbed Buddhist influences. Javanese architecture began under Hindu influence, with a surge of Buddhism from about 750 to 850 (as evidenced by the monumental Stupa at Borobudur), and a second flourishing of Hindu architecture which lasted from the late 800s until the 1300s with the advent of Islam. The Majahapit Empire (Kingdom) was an Indianized culture in East Java, Indonesia. The legendary "founder" of the kingdom was a Prince Vijaya who was aided by Mongol troops from Yuan China to overthrow another ruler. The capital was established at Trowulan, which today holds Majapahit treasures. The period of greatest power of the Majahapit kingdom was during the reigns of Queen Tribhuwana (1336–1350) and King Rajasangara (1350–1389). According to an old Javanese epic poem Nagarakretagama (circa 1365), the Majapahit extended their control over Bali, Sumatra, Borneo and New Guinea. Some scholars claim that the kingdom only consisted of East Java and Bali, but the records of Ming Chinese delegations record the wealth of the Majapahit kingdom, and it is believed that it also had an influence on Cambodia and Thailand. The kingdom collapsed from the mid-1400s when the number of Islamic states began to increase along the northern coast.