The Forgotten Kingdom of Blambangan
The Blambangan kingdom has never been accorded a place in Indonesian national history. Blambangan was a Hindu kingdom that existed contemporaneously with Majapahit and continued to exist long after Mahapahit’s demise.
Surviving up to the 18th century, Blambangan resisted the inroads of the Dutch East India Company, the VOC, to the bitter end. So why is there little or no mention of Blambangan in our national history? Why does the popular tale, Damarwulan-Menakjingga, cast Blambangan in a bad light and portray Menakjingga as a villain? Tempo sets out to trace the history of the Blambangan kingdom and reveal the truth.
September 22, 2010
THE 1-meter-high ruins of a brown brick wall were clear to be seen amid the glimmering green of the surrounding paddy fields. The bricks were skillfully laid, with each brick being about three times bigger than those normally used by builders today.
The ruins were discovered early in June during an initial survey of the Macan Putih site led by Professor Inajati, an archeologist from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University, historian Sri Margana,
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