Sailendra

Sailendra

Sailendra or officially Sailendravamxa (Sanskrit: Sailendra dynasty) is the name of an influential Indonesian dynasty that emerged in 8th century Java.
The Sailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered the Kedu Plain of Central Java with Buddhist monuments, including the world famous Borobudur.
The Sailendras are considered to be a thalassocracy and ruled the maritime Southeast Asia, however they also relied on agriculture pursuits through intensive rice cultivation on the Kedu Plain of Central Java. The dynasty appeared to be the ruling family of both Medang Kingdom of Central Java for some period and Srivijaya in Sumatra.
The inscriptions edicted by Sailendras uses three languages; old Malay, old Javanese and Sanskrit, written either in Kawi script or pre-nagari script. The use of old Malay has sparked the speculation of Sumatran origin or Srivijayan connection of this family, on the other hand the use of old Javanese suggested their firm political establishment on Java. The use of Sanskrit usually signify the official nature and religious significance of the event written on the inscription.
The Sojomerto inscription discovered in Batang Regency, Central Java, mentioned the name Dapunta Selendra and Selendranamah. The name 'Selendra' was another spelling of Sailendra, suggested that Dapunta Selendra was the progenitor of Sailendra family in Central Java. The inscription is Shivaist in nature, which suggests that the family was probably initially Hindu Shivaist before convert to Mahayana Buddhism.
The earliest dated inscription in Indonesia in which clearly mentioned the dynastic name of Sailendra as Sailendravamxatilaka appears is the Kalasan inscription of central Java, which commemorates the establishment of a Buddhist shrine for the Buddhist goddess Tara corresponds to candi Kalasan.
The name also appears in several other inscriptions like the Kelurak inscription and the Karangtengah inscription (824). Outside Indonesia, the name Sailendra is to be found in the Ligor inscription (775) on the Malay peninsula and Nalanda inscription (860) in India.
Although the rise of the Sailendra's occurred in Kedu Plain in the Javanese heartland, their origin has been the subject of discussion. Apart from Java itself; an earlier homeland in Sumatra, India or Cambodia has been suggested.
According to Majumdar, an Indian scholar, Sailendra dynasty that established themself in Indonesian archipleago, either the one that ruled Srivijaya or the ruler of Medang was originated from Kalinga (Eastern India). This opinion also shared by Nilakanta Sastri and Moens. Moens further describes; Sailendra was originated in India and established themself in Palembang before the arrival of Dapunta Hyang. In 683, Sailendra family moved to Java because being pushed by Dapunta Hyang and his troops.
In 1934, the French scholar Coedes proposed a relation with the Funan kingdom in Cambodia. Coedes believed that the Funanese rulers used similar sounding 'mountainlord' titles, but several Cambodia specialists have discounted this. They hold there is no historical evidence for such titles in the Funan period.
Other scholars hold that the expansion of Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya was involved in the rise of the dynasty in Java. Supporters of this connection emphasize the shared Mahayana patronage; the intermarriages and the Ligor inscription. Also the fact that some of Sailendra's inscriptions were written in old Malay, which suggested Srivijaya or Sumatran connections. The name 'Selendra' was 1st mentioned in Sojomerto inscription as "Dapunta Selendra". Dapunta Selendra is suggested as the ancestor of Sailendras. The title Dapunta is similar to those of Srivijayan King Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa, and the inscription â€" although discovered in Central Java north coast â€" was written in old Malay, which suggested the Sumatran origin or Srivijayan connection to this family.
Another theory suggested that Sailendra was a native Javanese dynasty, and Sanjaya dynasty was actually a branch of the Sailendra, since Sri Sanjaya and his offsprings belongs to the Sailendra family that were initially the Shivaist ruler of Mataram Kingdom. The association of Sailendra with Mahayana Buddhism began after the conversion of Panaraban or Panangkaran to Buddhism. This theory is based on Carita Parahyangan that tells of the ailing King Sanjaya ordering his son, Rakai Panaraban or Panangkaran, to convert to Buddhism, because their Shivaistic faith was feared by the people, in favour to the more pacifist Buddhist faith. The conversion of Panangkaran to Buddhism also corresponds to Raja Sankhara inscription that tells of a king named Sankhara converting to Buddhism, because his Shivaism faith was feared by the people and him chosing the more benevolent Buddhist faith. Unfortunately the Raja Sankhara inscription is now missing.
The Sailendra rulers maintained cordial relations, including marriage alliances with the Srivijaya kingdom in Sumatra. For instance, Samaratungga married Dewi Tara, a daughter of Srivijayan maharaja Dharmasetu. The mutual alliance between the two kingdoms ensured that Srivijaya had no need to fear the emergence of a Javanese rival and that the Sailendra had access to the international market.
Karangtengah inscription dated 824 mentioned about king Samaratungga. His daughter named Pramodhawardhani has inaugurated a Jinalaya, a sacred buddhist sanctuary. The inscription also mentioned a sacred buddhist building called Venuvana to place the cremated ashes of King Indra. The Tri Tepusan inscription dated 842 mentioned about the sima lands awarded by xrī Kahulunan (Pramodhawardhani, daughter of Samaratungga) to ensure the funding and maintenance of a Kamūlān called Bhūmisambhāra. Kamūlān itself from the word mula which means 'the place of origin', a sacred building to honor the ancestors. These findings suggested that either the ancestors of the Sailendras were originated from Central Java, or as the sign that Sailendra have established their holds on Java. Casparis suggested that Bhūmi Sambhāra Bhudhāra which in Sanskrit means "The mountain of combined virtues of the ten stages of Boddhisattvahood", was the original name of Borobudur.
The received version holds that the Sailendra dynasty existed next to the Sanjaya dynasty in Java. Much of the period was characterized by peaceful co-existence and cooperation but towards the middle of the 9th century relations had deteriorated. Around 852 the Sanjaya ruler Pikatan had defeated Balaputra, the offspring of the Sailendra monarch Samaratunga and princess Tara. This ended the Sailendra presence in Java and Balaputra retreated to the Srivijaya kingdom in Sumatra, where he became the paramount ruler.
After 824, there are no more references to the Sailendra house in the Javanese ephigraphic record. Around 860 the name re-appears in the Nalanda inscription in India. According to the text, the king Devapaladeva of Bengala had granted 'Balaputra, the king of Suvarna-dvipa' (Sumatra) the revenues of 5 villages to a Buddhist monastery near Bodh Gaya. Balaputra was styled a descendant from the Sailendra dynasty and grandson of the king of Java.
From Sumatra, the Sailendras also maintained overseas relations with the Chola kingdom in Southern India, as shown by several south Indian inscriptions. An 11th-century inscription mentioned the grant of revenues to a local Buddhist sanctuary, built in 1005 by the king of the Srivijaya. In spite the relations were initially fairly cordial, hostilities had broken out in 1025. Nevertheless, amity was re-established between the two states, before the end of the 11th century. In 1090 a new charter was granted to the old Buddhist sanctuary.
Traditionally the Sailendra period was viewed to span from 8th to 9th century confined only in Central Java, from the era of Panangkaran to Samaratungga. However the recent interpretation suggests the longer period of Sailendra family might existed, from mid 7th century to early 11th century (the fall of Sailendran dynasty of Srivijaya under Chola invasion). For certain period, Sailendras ruled both Central Java and Sumatra. Their alliance and intermarriage with Srivijayan ruling family resulted with the merging of two royal houses, with Sailendran finally emerge as the ruling family of both Srivijaya and Medang Mataram (Central Java).
Some historians tried to reconstruct the order and list of Sailendra rulers, although there is some disagreement on the list. Boechari tried to reconstruct the early stage of Sailendra based on Sojomerto inscription, while other historians such as Slamet Muljana and Poerbatjaraka tried to reconstruct the list of Sailendran king in middle and later period with their connections to Sanjaya and Srivijaya, based on inscriptions and Carita Parahyangan manuscript. However there is some confusion occurred, because the Sailendra seems to rule many kingdoms; Kalingga, Medang and later Srivijaya. As the result name of the same kings often overlapped and seens to rule these kingdoms simultaneously. The questionmark (?) signify doubt or speculation because of the scarcity of available valid sources.

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