Jayabaya

Jayabhaya
King of Kediri
Reign1135-1159
SuccessorSarvesvara
Died1179
Pamenang, Kingdom of Kadiri
Issue
  • Jaya Amijaya
  • Devi Pramesti
  • Devi Pramuni
  • Devi Sasanti
Regnal name
Sang Mapañji Jayabhaya Srī Varmmesvara Madhusūdanāwatārānandita Suhrtsingha Parakrama Digjayotunggadeva
HouseIsyana
ReligionHindu Buddhist

Jayabhaya or Jayabaya (Javanese spelled: Ratu Jayabaya) was the Javanese king of the Kediri Kingdom in East Java, Indonesia which ruled around 1135-1159 CE. With the title of abhiseka used is Sri Maharaja Sang Mapanji Jayabhaya Sri Warmeswara Madhusudana Awataranindita Suhtrisingha Parakrama Uttunggadewa. The reign of King Jayabhaya is considered the zenith of the Kediri Kingdom.[1]: 168 

King Jayabaya is credited with reunification of the Kediri kingdom following a split due to the death of his predecessor Airlangga. King Jayabaya was known for his just and prosperous rule, and reputed to have been an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu. King Jayabaya epitomized the archetypal Ratu Adil: the just king reborn in the dark age of suffering "Jaman Edan" (Madness Era) to restore the Jaman Raharja: social justice, order, and harmony in the world, as Javanese believed in a cyclical history of alternating prosperity epochs of (Jaman Raharja) followed an era of suffering (Jaman edan), to cycle back to an era of prosperity (Jaman Raharja).

Jabaya termed his kingdom Widarba, meaning a thousand cities in Pamenang, modern Kediri Regency. Intertwined between fact and myth are records that his father Gendrayana the Revolutionary, claimed to be a descendant of Pandavas as being son of Yudayana: the son of Parikshit: the son of Abhimanyu: the son of Arjuna from the family Pandavas. From Jayabaya's queen consort Dewi Sara wife were born all daughters Jaya Amijaya, Dewi Pramesti, Dewi Pramuni and Dewi Sasanti. Jaya Amijaya was married to Queen consort Astradarma Pramesti Yawastina king and birthed King of Anglingdarma: Malawapati.[2]

Jayabaya abdicated in old age and sought a life of meditation as a Hindu recluse, informing a moksha he was the incarnation of vishnu, in the village of Menang, in Pagu sub-district of Kediri Regency, until the modern era still considered a sacred pilgrimage site, according to Kejawen belief system. Sukarno and Suharto both meditated at length in Menang[citation needed] to attain an air of kingly legitimacy, supernatural abilities, Jayabaya's blessings and/or powers.

  1. ^ Cœdès, George (1968). The Indianized states of Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824803681.
  2. ^ Slamet Muljana. 2005. Runtuhnya Kerajaan Jindu-Jawa dan Timbulnya Negara-Negara Islam di Nusantara (terbitan ulang 1968). Yogyakarta: LKIS