KING AIRLANGGA

THE KING WHO REFORMER JAVA IN XI CENTURY

King Airlangga who crowned in 1019 AD was the only king of the kingdom of
Kahuripan. When King Dharmawangsa defeated by Srivijaya Empire, Airlangga
accompanied by his guard Narottama escaped westward into the jungle and retreated as a
hermit in Vanagiri. After several years in self-imposed exile in a Mount Vanagiri hermitage,
Airlangga rallied supports from officials and regents that are loyal to the former Isyana
dynasty and began to unite the areas that had formerly been ruled by Medang kingdom,
which had disintegrated after Dharmawangsa's death. He consolidated his authority,
established a new kingdom called the Kingdom of Kahuripan and made peace with Srivijaya.
Airlangga managed to stretch the kingdom from Pasuruan in the east to Madiun in the west.
In 1025 AD, Airlangga planning to increase his power and influence of the Kahuripan  as the
Srivijaya Empire began to decline their domination in Java after the defeated by the King
Colamandala from India. Airlanga began the expedition to restored the power of Wangsa
Isyana with politics and war. Knowing Srivijaya downfall after the attack by King
Colamandala, Airlangga proposed to marry the daughter of Srivijaya whom we know with
Putri Sanggrama Wijaya. With the political marriage, Airlangga ensure the safe to raise his
kingdom influence and power in Java. Within 1028 to 1035, Airlangga launched the
expantion of military power by securing the former territory of his late father in law which
already liberated from them. He conquered Raja Bhismaprabawa in 1029 and Raja Wijaya
from wenker in 1031. He aslo managed to conquered Raja Wora-Wari in 1032. In just 3
years, Airlangga was successful to get revenged by his late father in law after they betrayed
King Dharmawangsa by joining forces with Srivijaya.
Airlangga had three era, the consolidaition era, the golden era, and peak era. The first
one was the consolidation era with Airlangga trying to established his kingdom and restored
his late father in law King Dharmawasa glory by defeating Raja Bhismaprabawa, Raja Wiaya
and Raja Wora-Wari which they betrayed King Dharmawangsa by plotting against him and
joining forces with Srivijaya Empire. After Airlangga managed to expand his kingdom,
Airlangga start to rebuild his kingdom by focusing in four aspect which is Political,
Religion, ,economics and also social. Airlangga also made a lot of inscription with 28
inscription most of them in East Java. After Airlangga managed to expand his kingdom,
Airlangga start to rebuild his kingdom by focusing in 3 aspect, Political, Religion, and also
economics. Airlangga also made a lot of inscription with 28 inscription most of them in East
Java.
Airlangga pleased by his people with Airlangga passion and genuine to made his
people prosperity with repairing the irrigation, rebuild the land and water transportation,
developing the trading system, improve the spiritual life. As an example, Airlangga had
written in Prasasti Kamaglayan in 1037 AD. This Incription was made to commemorate the
building of dam in Waringin Sapta. Airlangga made a statement to reduced the tax to
submitted to the King Airlangga to use as maintenance in Waringin Sapta dam. The dam had
an important thing to his people to prevent water flood caused by Sungai Brantas (Now
Bengawan). The villagers now can farm their rice field again without fear the water flood.
The water flood caused them failure harvest.
The second aspect was religion. Airlangga had a faith in Hindu Religion. Airlangga
want his people to have a faith in Hindu but also he opened his people to learn another
religion which his people have a faith and love in their King wisdom. Airlangga had written
in new inscription in 1041 AD stated that the king order to build dharmma karsyan, asacred
places for Rsi in Pucangan. Rsi was a person with high knowledge religion. They also called
the children of brahma. With the explanation from Prasasti Pucangan, when King Airlangga
managed to flee to the woods, he visited the Rsi nad lived with them. King Airlangga known
his worship to Wisnu also King Airlangga considered as a incarnation of Wisnu. Airlangga
also want his people to have a faith in Waisnawa who dedicated to Wisnu but his people have
a free to chose or not, a lot of his people didn’t dedicated to Waisnawa.
The third aspect was economics. King Airlangga commited to build his economis
system base on agriculture, transportation, and trading. In Agriculture sector he wanted to
push the harvest by expanding the rice fields and rebuild the maintenance with the great
irrigation control. With the improvement in agriculture produce such as rice, Airlangga can
export the harvest and traded so his people had enough to fulfil their needs. Kahuripan
Kingdom had a large area most of them are the rice fields and also had Brantas River which
is usefull for irrigation system. The people in java at the time had a trading system. A lot of
overseas kingdom came to java to find new resource. Airlangga realized this and he started to
build trading port. Airlangga had a policy to improve the trading by the sea. North Java was a
biggest and the largest trading trading port at the time. When visitors from outside Java
wanted to find supplies, the people in java already harvest the rice and send them to trading
port or export them outside Java. Airlangga with his policy had one of the biggest trading
port in southeast asia. With the commerce relation, Airlangga wanted Java to become central
of trading replacing Srivijaya Empire who slowly began to fall. The trading port system was
ran by Dinasti Warmadewa, and Airlangga used the system and worked perfectly. It turn out
Kahuripan Kingdom had a wide scale economics income instead only focusing in harvest
only. Airlangga arrange the new economics system in java and prepare the port for one goal
only, to replace Srivijaya Empire as a international transit port. The policy who made by
King Airlangga was applied in all his royal kingdom area where he managed to conquered
the unloyal area.