Mandala Majapahit: An NGO in East Java

• In Event: Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Investigations in Southeast Asia: Archaeology, History, and Colonialism

Abstract

Abstract: an organization called Mandala Majapahit has been established at the site of the capital of Majapahit, a major Southeast Asian kingdom of the late 13th through early 16th centuries. The organization is funded by Yayasan Arsari, which is in turn sponsored by Hashim Djojohadikusumo, brother of a well-known Indonesian politician, Prabowo Djojohadikusumo. The foundation’s goal is to support research and publication on this kingdom, and to endeavor to preserve the kingdom’s capital. The Mandala Majapahit has established a center in the modern village of Trowulan, which encompasses part of the archaeological site. The center, launched in November 2014, has succeeded in attracting a large number of local residents to participate in various activities. One of the major priorities of the foundation is to work together with local authorities including the Regent (Bupati) of Mojokerto, and the regional branch of the National Research Center for Archaeology, to alleviate the gradual destruction of the site which has been in progress for over a century. Affiliates of the foundation include Peter Carey, well-known expert on Javanese history.

Author

• John Miksic, National University of Singapore