Gajah Mada’s Palapa oath

E71246

Gajah Mada’s Palapa oath was a famous 14th-century vow by the Majapahit prime minister to not enjoy worldly pleasures until he had unified the entire Indonesian archipelago under Majapahit rule.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Javanese historical event
historical oath
political vow
symbol of Indonesian unity
associatedWithConcept Indonesian territorial imagination
Nusantara unity
associatedWithDynasty Rajasa dynasty
associatedWithMonarch Tribhuwanatunggadewi
associatedWithOffice Mahapatih (prime minister) of Majapahit
associatedWithPerson Gajah Mada
associatedWithPolity Majapahit Empire
associatedWithRegion Indonesian archipelago
Southeast Asia
committedAbstentionFrom palapa (interpreted as spices or pleasures)
worldly pleasures
contentSummary vow to abstain from worldly pleasures until Nusantara was unified under Majapahit rule
culturalSignificance foundational myth of Indonesian unity
important narrative in Javanese historiography
declaredAt Majapahit royal court
declaredBeforeRuler Queen Tribhuwanatunggadewi
declaredBy Gajah Mada
declaredIn Majapahit Empire
declaredInApproximateYear c. 1334
declaredInCentury 14th century
goal subjugation of various polities in the archipelago
hasAlternativeName Palapa oath
Sumpah Palapa
historicityStatus partly legendary
ideologicalTheme ascetic self-restraint
loyalty to Majapahit
political unity
influenced modern Indonesian nationalism
language Old Javanese
mentionsRegion Nusantara
modernInterpretation early articulation of a unified Indonesian space
politicalSignificance expression of imperial ambition
justification for Majapahit expansion
purpose expansion of Majapahit political control
unification of the Nusantara archipelago
recordedIn Pararaton chronicle
referencedBy Indonesian historians
referencedIn Indonesian school curricula
sourceType literary chronicle
studiedInDiscipline Indonesian history
Southeast Asian studies
political history
symbolizes ideal of Indonesian national unity
timePeriod Majapahit era

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Gajah Mada’s Palapa oath ("Palapa oath")
hasAlternativeName
Gajah Mada ("Palapa Oath to conquer Nusantara")
knownFor
Majapahit Empire
notableEvent

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