Editing Maharaja (section)

== Southeast Asia ==
=== Dali ===
Duan Xingzhi, the last monarch of the [[Kingdom of Dali]], submitted to the [[Mongol Empire]], and in return was enfeoffed as Maharaja (摩诃罗嵯) of Dali, continuing to rule the area (but subordinated to [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] princes and Muslim governors of Yunnan), until the [[Ming conquest of Yunnan]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Yang |first=Bin |title=Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE) |date=2008a |chapter=Chapter 3: Military Campaigns against Yunnan: A Cross-Regional Analysis |chapter-url=http://www.gutenberg-e.org/yang/chapter3.html |publisher=Columbia University Press}}</ref>

===Indonesia===
{{see also|History of Indonesia #Hindu-Buddhist civilisations}}
When the [[Indonesian Archipelago]] was still predominantly Hindu-Buddhist (circa 3rd century CE until the 15th century CE), all of the [[Greater India|Indianised kingdoms]] which ruled different areas of the [[Malay Archipelago|archipelago]] was ruled by a "Maharaja" or simply referred by the locals as "Raja", such as the first and oldest Hindu kingdom of Indonesia the [[Kutai|Kutai Martadipura]] in eastern [[Borneo]], the [[Tarumanegara]], the [[Srivijaya]], the [[Majapahit]] and numerous other kingdoms. Traditional titles remain in use for other members of royalty, such as [[Pangeran Ratu]] for the heir and other local-Malay titles such as "Paduka Sri". The title "Maharaja" has been used to refer to kings of ancient Indianised kingdoms, such as Maharaja [[Mulavarman]] king of [[Kutai#History|Kutai Martadipura]] and Maharaja [[Purnawarman]] king of [[Tarumanegara]].

Maharaja was also part of the titles of the nobility in the Sumatran sultanate of [[Aceh]]. In the past, the title of Maharaja is given to a leader of the unreigning noble family and the Prime Minister Maharaja Mangkubumi. The last Prime Minister of Aceh who was installed to be the Maharaja Mangkubumi, Habib Abdurrahman el Zahir, who also acted as the foreign affairs minister of Aceh but was deposed and exiled to [[Jeddah]] by the colonial [[Dutch East Indies]] authorities in October 1878.

===Malaysia===
In peninsular [[Malaysia]]:
* Maharaja was the title of the monarch of the peninsular Malay state of [[Johor]](e) from 1873 to 1885. The Arabic, Muslim title [[Sultan]], often considered of higher rank, was re-adopted later and remains in current usage.
* The title Bendahara Seri Maharaja was used by the ruler of [[Pahang]] (1623–1853 in personal union with Johor, eventually becoming a fief of the [[Bendahara]] family), till on 6 August 1882 Tuanku Ahmad al-Muadzam Shah ibni al-Marhum Tun Ali adopted the title, Sultan.

In northern [[Borneo]], the title Maharajah of Sabah and Rajah of [[Pulau Gaya|Gaya]] and [[Sandakan]] was used from 29 December 1877 to 26 August 1881 by [[Baron von Overbeck]] (compare [[White Rajah]]).<ref>P. J. Rivers, "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/41493515 The Origin of 'Sabah' and a Reappraisal of Overbeck as Maharajah]", ''Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society'' 77(1), 2004; pp. 79–80</ref>

The Englishman Capt. [[James Brooke]] was declared as Rajah Brooke by the [[Omar Ali Saifuddin II|Sultan of Brunei]] for his role in pacifying the Sarawak revolt against the Sultan during the Raffles' stint. The word ''Rajah'' derived from the word Maharaja. In 1842, the Sultan of Brunei ceded Sarawak to Rajah Brooke who founded the [[Kingdom of Sarawak]] and a line of dynastic monarchs known as the [[White Rajahs]].

In contemporary Malay usage, the title ''Maharaja'' refers to an [[emperor]], e.g. "''Maharaja Jepun''" ("[[Emperor of Japan]]").

=== Brunei ===
In Seri Malayas of the [[Srivijaya]], under the Srivijaya satellite empire of the [[Majapahit]] Empire dominated over the whole Malayas far-reaching the present [[Philippine Archipelago]], Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia under the Srivijaya Empire of the Majapahit King Maharaja Pamariwasa. The latter's daughter Es-kander was married to an Arab (Zein Ul-Abidin), the third Makdum who promulgated Koranic studies (Madrassahs) and was a Srivijaya ruler in Seri who were a Srivijaya Monarchy. In the 12th century with the fall of the empire, the Seri King being a Muslim established the [[Sultanate of Brunei]] in 1363 with the throne name Sultan Mohamad Shah. In 1426, he established the sultanate of sulu as his death was recorded in 1431 Mt. Makatangis Sulu grave and 1432 Brunei grave. Both Sulu and Brunei claim the honor of his grave, while his brother, a Johore (Singapore) Prince Makdum Karim (Sharif Kabungsuwan of Malabang Lanao) the second Makdum after the first one Makdum Tuan Masha'ik. Karim ul-makdum re=enforced Islam, a Srivijaya Johore ruler, later established the Sultanate of Maguindanao-Ranao (Mindanao) after taking the political authority of his father-in-law Tomaoi Aliwya of the Maguiindanao family dynasty. He adapted the title as sultan Aliwya (Sharif Kabungsuwan), the first Maguindanao Sultan. The second and third Makdum's father was Sultan Betatar of Taif Arabia who was the 9th progeny of Hasan, the grandson of prophet Sayyidina Muhammad.

=== Compound Malay titles ===
The word can also be part of titles used by [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]] nobility:
* ''Maharaja Lela'' was the title of the ruler of the State of [[Naning]] (founded 1641), until it was annexed by the United Kingdom to [[Malacca]] in 1832.
Most famous was [[Bendahara]] Seri Maharaja [[Tun Mutahir of Malacca]] (executed 1509) and Datuk [[Maharaja Lela]] Pandak Lam of [[Perak]] (executed 1876).

The [[palace]] [[marshal]] of the [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong]] (head of state) of modern [[Malaysia]] is called ''Datuk Maharaja Lela Penghulu Istana Negara''.

Eventually, Maharajah Adinda was also used to refer to a particular lineage within the royal families.

=== Thailand ===
[[File:King Rama X official (crop).png|thumb|Maha [[Vajiralongkorn]] Bodindradebayavarangkun, King of Thailand (2016–)]]
The [[King of Thailand]] has been called a "Maharaj" ({{langx|th|มหาราชา}}).