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 Not much remains of the once powerful 13th century East Java kingdom of
Singosari. Only an unfinished temple and two giant statues that once
stood guard in front of the palace remain of this great kingdom. In its
heyday Singosari was so powerful that the mighty Mongol emperor Kublai
Khan deemed it essential to send a fleet and a special emissary to the
court of Singosari to demand that King Kertanegara personally submit
allegiance to the emperor. In response, Kertanegara cut off one of the
ambassador’s ears as a message to Kublai khan that he will do no such
thing.Whatever little remains of the palace of Singosari can be seen near the present-day town of Singosari, where stands the unfinished Singosari temple built in 1304 and in the courtyard are a collection of statues, while further down are two huge guardian statues known as dwarapala. The beautiful Candi Jawi, with Mt. Penanggungan at its back, built in the reign of Singosari, is believed to be the funerary temple of the kingdom’s fifth and last king Kertanegara. Built in the 13th century, it is dedicated to a deity combining features of the Hindu god Siva with the Buddha. Candi Jawi is located 40 km. south of Surabaya at Prigen on the way to Tretes. Other temples built during the Singosari era are the Candi Jago built in 1268 located in Tumpang village, 6 km. south of present day town of Singosari. It is dedicated to Singosari’s 4th king Visnusardahana; while Candi Kidal is 11 km along the same road, built in 1260 and decorated with the mythical Garuda bird. Kidal is dedicated to Singosari’s 2nd king, Raja Anusapati. An original statue of king Kertanegara still stands in the center of the city of Surabaya, affectionately known as Joko Dolog, or the Fat Boy. The kingdom of Singosari was founded in 1222 by a commoner by the name of Ken Arok, who managed to marry the beautiful princess Ken Dedes of Janggala after murdering her husband. Ken Arok later attacked neighbouring Kediri and thus united the two realms that were split by King Airlangga in 1049 as inheritance to his two sons.
Singosari succeeded in developing the rich agricultural hinterland along
the Brantas river basin, as well as the lucrative maritime trade along
the Java Sea. In 1275 and 1291 king Kartanegara attacked the maritime
kingdom of Crivijaya in South Sumatra and gained suzerainty over the
maritime trade in the Java and Sumatra seas. He was, however, killed by
one of his vassals, Jayakatwang in 1293. |
