Latest / Majapahit: The Empire That Once Ruled Indonesia — Fexingo History / Majapahit's Candi Bajang Ratu: The Gate of Many Meanings
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've walked through Trowulan's waterworks and its great mosques, but today I want to stop at a gate. Not just any gate — Candi Bajang Ratu, the split-gate that still stands at the heart of the old capital. It's one of the most photographed monuments from Majapahit, but most people pass by without knowing what it actually was. Luna: A gate? I feel like I've seen it in travel photos, but I never thought about its story. Lucas: Right. And that's exactly what we're diving into. But before we get lost in the stone, let me mention something quickly — you might have noticed we don't run ads on this show, and that's a choice we've made deliberately. If you value that, the best way to keep it that way is to support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture, but it keeps these conversations going. Luna: Yeah, I think it's worth supporting something that respects your time and your curiosity. Lucas: Exactly. Now, back to that gate. Candi Bajang Ratu sits in the village of Temon, just a few kilometers from Trowulan's main complex. It's built in the paduraksa style — that's the tall, roofed gate with a narrow passage, not the massive split-gate you see at some other sites. This one is more like a grand doorway, almost nine meters tall, with intricate reliefs carved into its red brick. Luna: So it's not even a true split-gate? I thought all those were called candi bentar. Lucas: Good distinction. Candi bentar are the split gates, literally two halves. Bajang Ratu is a paduraksa, which has a roof and a passageway. It's the kind of gate that would have led into a sacred courtyard or a royal compound. And its name — Bajang Ratu — is a puzzle. 'Bajang' can mean 'dwarf' or 'young', and 'ratu' means 'ruler'. Some say it refers to a king who was small or young, others think it points to the story of a prince who was cursed to be a dwarf. Luna: Cursed prince? That sounds like a Javanese folktale. Lucas: It is. The story goes that a prince, often associated with the Majapahit dynasty, was cursed by his own father to remain small because of his arrogance. And the gate might have been built to commemorate him or to guard his spirit. But the truth is, we don't know exactly why it was called that. The name might have come later, maybe long after the empire fell. Lucas: What we do know is that the gate dates to the 14th century, most likely during the reign of Hayam Wuruk, the empire's greatest ruler. Some scholars think it was part of a larger complex, maybe a temple or a pavilion where the king performed rituals. The Nagarakretagama, that amazing poem written by Mpu Prapanca in 1365, describes royal processions passing through grand gates like this during the annual ceremonies. Luna: I love that poem. It's like a snapshot of Majapahit's golden age. Lucas: Exactly. And if we trust Prapanca's descriptions, Bajang Ratu might have been one of those gates that the king himself walked through. The reliefs on the gate show scenes from the Ramayana and also local stories, including a figure that some identify as a raksasa, a giant guardian. That mix of Hindu epics and Javanese mythology is a reminder that Majapahit's religion wasn't a clean separation of Hindu and Buddhist — it was this fluid, syncretic thing. Luna: So the gate wasn't just an entrance; it was a statement of power and belief. Lucas: Absolutely. Think about it — when you enter through a paduraksa, you're physically lowering yourself as you pass under the roof. It's a built-in act of humility, a transition from the ordinary world to a sacred one. That's exactly what the Majapahit kings wanted: to remind everyone that the court was a divine realm, and they were the bridge between the gods and the people. Lucas: And who kept that realm running? The Dharmadhyaksa, the high priests of the Hindu and Buddhist orders. They were the ones who interpreted the laws and maintained the rituals that justified the king's rule. Bajang Ratu, with its carvings of gods and guardians, would have been one of the stages where that sacred authority was displayed. Luna: It's amazing that a single gate can tell us so much about how they governed. Lucas: It does. And the gate also reveals the empire's technical skill. The bricks are laid in a precise pattern, without mortar, using a system of interlocking joints that has survived for over six hundred years. The reliefs are carved directly into the brick, which is incredibly hard to do — brick is brittle, not like stone. That level of craftsmanship didn't just happen; it was a tradition that had been perfected over centuries. Luna: So the builders knew exactly what they were doing. Lucas: They did. And that's why the gate has lasted while so much else in Trowulan has crumbled. It's also why it's become a symbol of Indonesian identity. The image of Bajang Ratu appears on the back of the fifty-thousand rupiah banknote, and it's often used in official logos. It's a way for modern Indonesia to claim a connection to that glorious past. Luna: I've seen that banknote. I never knew that was Bajang Ratu. Lucas: Yeah, it's a subtle nod. But the gate's fame also brings problems. It's one of the most visited sites in Trowulan, and that foot traffic can cause wear. In the 1990s, there was a restoration project that used new bricks and modern mortar, which actually sparked a debate among archaeologists about whether they'd changed the original structure too much. It's a delicate balance between preserving and damaging. Lucas: And there's also the question of what else might be buried around it. The gate is part of a larger archaeological zone, and many structures are still underground. In 2012, a team using ground-penetrating radar found what might be the remains of a large building nearby, possibly a royal palace or a great hall. So Bajang Ratu might be just the tip of the iceberg. Luna: Wow, so the whole area is like a time capsule waiting to be opened. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why I love this topic. A single gate can open up so many threads: religion, politics, art, archaeology. It reminds us that history isn't just about big battles and treaties; it's also about the spaces people built and the meanings they gave them. Luna: I'm going to look at that gate with totally different eyes next time. Lucas: I hope so. And if you ever get to Trowulan, stand in front of Bajang Ratu and just imagine the processions that passed through it, the sounds of gamelan and the smell of incense. It's a way to connect with a world that's gone but not forgotten. Luna: Thanks for taking us there, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks for walking with me. And if you're enjoying these journeys, remember that a little support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo helps us keep doing this ad-free. Until next time, keep stepping into history.