Singhasari temple or Candi Singhasari is a 13th-century syncretic Hindu-Buddhist temple located in Singosari district, Malang Regency, East Java in Indonesia.
The temple is located on Jalan Kertanegara, Candirenggo village, Singosari district, about 10 kilometres north from Malang city, on the valley between two mountain ranges, the Tengger-Bromo in the east and Arjuno-Welirang in the west, with elevation 512 metres above sea level. The temple orientation is facing northwest towards Mount Arjuno. It is linked to the historical Singhasari kingdom of East Java, as the site around the temple is believed to be the center of Javanese court of Singhasari.
The temple was mentioned in the Javanese poem Nagarakretagama canto 37:7 and 38:3 and also in Gajah Mada inscription dated 1351 and discovered in the temple's yard. According to these sources, the temple is the funerary temple of King Kertanagara (ruled 1268 — 1292), the last king of the Singhasari dynasty, whose assassination in 1292 by Jayakatwang of Gelang-gelang finally led to the establishment of Majapahit rule.
The temple's unfinished state can be seen in the incomplete kala head over its lower entrance. The temple faces northwest. Its lower level is Shaiva, but the temple has a second cella on the upper level, that was a Buddhist dedication. [1] Alternate spellings: Kertanagara for Kertanegara, and Singosari for Singhasari.
Significant features of the temple include: [2]
Singhasari was a Javanese Hindu kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded the Kingdom of Kediri as the dominant kingdom in eastern Java. The kingdom's name is cognate to Singosari district of Malang Regency, located several kilometres north of Malang city.
Singosari is a district in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia. It covers an area of 118.51 km2 and had a population of 165,357 at the 2010 Census and 180,050 at the 2020 Census. It is situated about 400 m above sea-level, and is therefore quite cool especially from June to August. Temperature hovers around 18–20 degrees Celsius at night.
The Nagarakretagama or Nagarakṛtāgama, also known as Desawarnana or Deśavarṇana, is an Old Javanese eulogy to Hayam Wuruk, a Javanese king of the Majapahit Empire. It was written on lontar as a kakawin by Mpu Prapanca in 1365. The Nagarakretagama contains detailed descriptions of the Majapahit Empire during its greatest extent. The poem affirms the importance of Hindu–Buddhism in the Majapahit empire by describing temples and palaces and several ceremonial observances.
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Gajah Mada inscription also known as Singhasari inscription, is an inscription written in old Javanese script, dated to 1273 Saka or corresponds to 1351 CE from Majapahit period, discovered in Singosari district, Malang Regency, East Java. The inscription is now preserved in National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta under inventory number D 111. The inscription was carved on a smooth surface, and the letters are clearly legible.
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