Sailendra

Sailendra (Sanskrit:"Lord of the Mountain") is the name of an influential Indonesian dynasty that emerged in 8th century Java.

The Sailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered the plains of Central Java with Buddhist monuments, including the world famous Borobudur. ["Patrons of Buddhism, the Sailendras during the height of their power in central Java constructed impressive monuments and temple complexes, the best known of which is the Borobudur on the Kedu Plain" (quoted from Hall 1985:109).]

Primary sources

The earliest dated inscription in Indonesia in which the dynastic name Sailendra appears is the Kalasan inscription of central Java, dated 778 AD, which commemorates the establishment of a Buddhist shrine for the Buddhist goddess Tara. [Hall(1985:110)]

The name also appears in several other inscriptions like the Kelurak inscription (782) and the Karentengah (792). Outside Indonesia, the name Sailendra is to be found in the Ligor inscription (775) on the Malay peninsula and the mid-9th century Nalanda inscription. [Hall(1985:110)]

Sailendras in Java

The Sailendra rulers maintained close relations, including marriage alliances with the Srivijaya kingdom in Sumatra. For instance, Samaratungga married Dewi Tara, a daughter of Srivijayan maharaja Dharmasetu. The mutual alliance between the two kingdoms ensured that Srivijaya had no need to fear the emergence of a Javanese rival and that the Sailendra had access to the international market.

The received version holds that the Sailendra dynasty existed next to the Sanjaya dynasty in Java. Much of the period was characterized by peacefull co-existence and cooperation but towards the middle of the 9th century relations had deteriorated. Around 852 the Sanjaya ruler Pikatan had defeated Balaputra, the offspring of the Sailendra monarch Samaratunga and princess Tara. This ended the Sailendra presence in Java and Balaputra retreated to the Srivijaya kingdom in Sumatra, where he became the paramount ruler. [" De Casparis proposed that in 856 Balaputra was defeated by Pikatan, where upon Balaputra retreated to Srivijaya, the country of his mother, to become the first Sailandra ruler of Srivijaya. Thus in the late 9th century Srivijaya was ruled by a Buddhist Sailendra ruler, while Java was ruled by Pikatan and his successors who patronized Siva" (cf. De Casparis, 1956; Hall, 1985:111). ]

ailendras in Sumatra

After 824, there are no more references to the Sailendra house in the Javanese ephigraphic record. Around 860 the name re-appears in the Nalanda inscription in India. According to the text, the local king had granted 'Balaputra, the king of Suvarna-dvipa' ( Sumatra )the revenues of 5 villages to a Buddhist monastery near Bodh Gaya. Balaputra was styled a descendant from the Sailendra dynasty and grandson of the king of Java. [ Hall( 1985:109 )]

From Sumatra, the Sailendras also maintained overseas relations with the Chola kingdom in India, as shown by several south Indian inscriptions. An 11 th century inscription mentioned the grant of revenues to a local Buddhist sanctuary, built in 1005 by the king of the Srivijaya . In spite the relations were initially fairly cordial, hostilities had broken out in 1025. [ Hall (1985:200)] Nevertheless, amity was re-established between the 2 states, before the end of the 11 th century. In 1090 a new charter was granted to the old Buddhist sanctuary and is the last known inscription with a reference to the Sailendras.

Origins

Although the rise of the Sailendra's occurred in the Javanese heartland, their origin has been the subject of discussion. [cite journal| title=Why the Sailendras were not a Javanese dynasty |journal=Indonesia and the Malay World |author=Roy E. Jordaan |volume=34 |issue=98 |pages=3–22 |date=2006 |doi=10.1080/13639810600650711] Apart from Java itself ; an earlier homeland in Sumatra, India or Cambodia has been suggested. In 1934, the French scholar Coedes proposed a relation with the Funan kingdom in Cambodia. [ Coedes believed that the Funanese rulers used similar sounding 'mountainlord' titles, but several Cambodia specialists have discounted this. They hold there is no historical evidence for such titles in the Funan period. ( Jacques 1979; Vickery 2003-2004 ) ] Other scholars hold that the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya was involved in the rise of the dynasty in Java. [e.g. Munoz (2006:139) Supporters of this connection emphasize the shared Mahayana patronage; the intermarriages and the Ligor inscription.]

Notes

References

* De Casparis, J.G. de (1956). "Prasasti Indonesia II : Selected inscriptions from the 7th to the 9th centuries AD". Bandung: Masu Baru, 1956
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External links

* [http://www.borobudur.tv/history_2.htm Sailendra]