Editing Majapahit (section)

==Historiography==
===Archaeological evidence===
Compared to contemporary societies elsewhere in Asia, little physical evidence of Majapahit remains,<ref>{{cite book | last =Taylor | first =Jean Gelman | title =Indonesia: Peoples and Histories | publisher =Yale University Press |year=2003 | location =New Haven and London | pages =[https://archive.org/details/indonesia00jean/page/29 29] | url =https://archive.org/details/indonesia00jean| url-access =registration | isbn = 0-300-10518-5 }}</ref> Majapahit did produce physical evidence: the main ruins dating from the Majapahit period are clustered in the [[Trowulan]] area, which was the royal capital of the kingdom. The area has become the centre for the study of Majapahit history. The Trowulan archaeological site was first documented in the 19th century by [[Stamford Raffles|Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles]], Lieutenant-Governor of [[French and British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies#British interregnum 1811–1815|British Java]] of the [[East India Company]] from 1811 to 1816. He reported the existence of "ruins of temples... scattered about the country for many miles", and referred to Trowulan as "this pride of Java".<ref>{{cite book | last =Bullough | first =Nigel| title =Historic East Java: Remains in Stone, Indonesian 50th independence day commemorative edition | editor= Mujiyono PH| publisher =ADLine Communications| year =1995 | location =Jakarta| page=102 }}</ref> Aerial and satellite imagery has revealed an extensive network of canals crisscrossing the Majapahit capital.<ref>{{cite news |title =Menyusuri Majapahit dengan Panduan Peta National Geographic Indonesia |author =Mahandis Yoanata Thamrin |work =National Geographic Indonesia |url =http://nationalgeographic.co.id/berita/2014/11/menyusuri-majapahit-dengan-panduan-peta-national-geographic |language =id |access-date =18 October 2015 |archive-date =23 May 2018 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180523181513/http://nationalgeographic.co.id/berita/2014/11/menyusuri-majapahit-dengan-panduan-peta-national-geographic |url-status =dead }}</ref> Findings from April 2011 indicate the Majapahit capital was much larger than previously believed after some artefacts were uncovered.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/01/07/majapahit-capital-may-be-larger-previously-believed.html |title=Majapahit capital may be larger than previously believed |work=The Jakarta Post |first=Indra |last=Harsaputra |date=7 January 2011 |access-date=8 April 2022}}</ref>

===Inscriptions===
While significant details about the history of Majapahit remain vague,<ref name=ricklefs/>{{rp|page=18}} this period of Javanese history is the more comprehensively documented than any other. The most reliable written sources for this period are [[Old Javanese]] inscriptions on stone and metal, which are contemporary with the events they describe. These inscriptions provide valuable information about dynasties, religious affairs, village communities, society, economics, and the arts.<ref name="Boechari 2012">{{cite book |last=Boechari |title=Melacak Sejarah Kuno Indonesia Lewat Prasasti/Tracing Ancient Indonesian History through Inscriptions |year=2012 |publisher=Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia}}</ref>{{rp|255–236}}

The Majapahit dynasty is described in royal inscriptions such as Kudadu (issued in 1294), Sukhamerta (1296), Tuhanyaru (1323), Gajah Mada (1351), Waringin Pitu (1447) and Trailokyapuri (1486). These sources help us to clarify the family relationships and chronologies of the Majapahit rulers, as well as to correct certain errors found in the ''[[Pararaton]]''. A few inscriptions found outside Java, such as the Pura Abang C inscription discovered in northern Bali, offer conclusive evidence that these areas were under Majapahit control during the late 14th century.<ref name="Sastrawan Empire"/>

[[File:Nagarakertagama.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Nagarakretagama|<nowiki>''Deśarvarṇana''</nowiki>]]'' [[palm-leaf manuscript]] in the National Library of Indonesia collection.]]

===Javanese chronicles===
Two important chronicle sources are available to historians of Majapahit: ''[[Nagarakretagama|Deśavarṇana]]'' ("Description of Districts") was composed 1365 and the ''[[Pararaton]]'' ("The Monarchs") was compiled sometime between 1481 and 1600.<ref name="Johns1964">{{cite journal |last1=Johns |first1=Anthony H. |title=The Role of Structural Organisation and Myth in Javanese Historiography |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |date=November 1964 |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=91–99 |doi=10.2307/2050416|jstor=2050416 |s2cid=163139226 }}</ref> Both of these chronicles survive as 19th- or 20th-century palm-leaf manuscripts. The ''Deśavarṇana'' (also known as ''Nagarakretagama'') is an [[Old Javanese]] [[eulogy]] written during the Majapahit golden age under the reign of [[Hayam Wuruk]], after which some events are covered narratively.<ref name=ricklefs />{{rp| page=18}} Composed by [[Mpu Prapanca]], it provides a primary historical account of Majapahit court during the reign of King [[Hayam Wuruk]], as well as detailed information about the East Javanese countryside and a summary of [[Singhasari]] history. The ''Pararaton'' focuses on [[Ken Arok]], the founder of [[Singhasari]], but includes a number of shorter narrative fragments about the formation of Majapahit.

The Javanese sources incorporate some poetic mythological elements into their historical accounts. This complexity has led to a variety of interpretive approaches. Cornelis Christiaan Berg, a Dutch historian, have considered the entire historical record to be not a record of the past, but a supernatural means by which the future can be determined.{{efn | group=note |1=<ref>C. C. Berg. ''Het rijk van de vijfvoudige Buddha'' (Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Afd. Letterkunde, vol. 69, no. 1) Amsterdam: N.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, 1962</ref> cited in<ref name=ricklefs />{{rp|pages=18, 311}}}}<ref name ="M Wood"/> Most scholars do not accept this view, as the historical record corresponds in part with Chinese materials that could not have had similar intention. The references to rulers and details of the state structure show no sign of being invented.<ref name=ricklefs/>{{rp | page=18}}

[[File:爪哇趕者伯夷國王皮影戲偶.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wayang|Wayang klithik]] puppet of Raden [[Damarwulan|Damar Wulan]]{{snd}}the hero of Majapahit kingdom]]

===Chinese sources===
The Chinese historical sources on Majapahit mainly acquired from the chronicles of the [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] and following [[Ming dynasty]]. The Chinese accounts on Majapahit are mainly owed to the Ming admiral [[Zheng He]]'s reports during [[Ming treasure voyages|his visit to Majapahit]] between 1405 and 1432. Zheng He's translator [[Ma Huan]] wrote a detailed description of Majapahit and where the king of Java lived.<ref name=yingyai /> The report was composed and collected in ''[[Yingya Shenglan]]'', which provides valuable insight on the culture, customs, and also various social and economic aspects of Java ({{lang|zh-Hant|爪哇}}, {{transliteration|zh|''chao-wa''}}) during Majapahit period.<ref name="Chao-Wa">{{cite web |author2=JVG Mills |author1=Ma Huan |title=Ying-yai Sheng-lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores |year=1970 |work=Washington.edu |pages=86–97 (Country of Chao-Wa) |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/qing/huan_ying-yai_sheng-lan%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223000000/http://faculty.washington.edu/qing/huan_ying-yai_sheng-lan%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date=23 December 2021 |access-date=5 November 2015 |url-status=live }} [https://archive.org/details/ying-yai-sheng-lan-1433/page/n3/mode/2up?q= Alt URL]</ref> The Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty (''Ming shi-lu'') provide supporting evidence for specific events in Majapahit history, such as the [[Regreg War]].<ref name="Ming shilu">{{cite web |last1=Wade |first1=Geoff |url=https://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/ |title=Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu |publisher=NUS Press}}</ref>