The 14th-century Javanese empire whose influence reached across the archipelago.
Majapahit, founded in 1293, became one of the greatest empires in Southeast Asian history under King Hayam Wuruk and his prime minister Gajah Mada, whose Palapa Oath vowed to unite the archipelago.
Its capital was near today's Trowulan in East Java, where red-brick gates such as Bajang Ratu still stand. Indonesia's national motto, 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' (Unity in Diversity), comes from a Majapahit-era poem.
Good to know
- Founded in 1293
- Gajah Mada's Palapa Oath
- Source of 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika'
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