Trowulan

Long ago, a grand city stood in Java.

This city was the home of a great empire. It was built with many red bricks.

People lived in houses with wooden floors. They also had large pools for water.

One big pool was as large as a sea. It helped the city get fresh water. Many years later, people found these ruins. It is a very special place to visit today.

Trowulan is a very old site in East Java.

Many people think it was the capital of the Majapahit Empire. This empire was a great power long ago. The city was made of red brick.

It had many canals and water systems. These helped many people live close together.

One famous site is Tikus Temple. It is a place for ritual bathing.

Another site is the Wringin Lawang gate. This is a large, split gate made of brick. It may have been an entrance to a grand home. The city also had a very big pool called Segaran.

Some think it was a reservoir for fresh water. Others think it was for swimming or fun.

In 1478, the city was destroyed during an invasion. After that, the capital moved to a new place. Later, people found the ruins again. Many items from the old city are now in the Trowulan Museum. These finds show how people lived in the 14th century.

Trowulan is a very important archaeological site in East Java, Indonesia.

Many historians believe it was once the capital city of the Majapahit Empire. This empire was a very strong land during the 14th and 15th centuries. The site covers about 100 square kilometers of land.

It was a place where many people lived close together. Today, we study these ruins to learn about the past.

Life in the capital was organized around many different areas. A famous poem called the Nagarakretagama describes the royal palace. The palace had thick walls made of red brick.

There were special courtyards for religious buildings and bathing. Some people lived in houses built on tall pillars. These houses had wooden floors and beautiful clay ornaments on the roofs. The city also had many canals to move water around.

History tells us that the city changed many times.

The Majapahit Empire was once very grand and wealthy. However, an invasion happened in 1478 to defeat a leader named Kertabhumi. During this time, the city was razed, or destroyed. After this event, the capital moved to a place called Daha.

Many parts of the old city were later buried under mud and volcanic debris.

Many amazing structures still stand in Trowulan today.

Tikus Temple is a red brick bathing pool that looks like a sunken basin. The Bajang Ratu gate is a tall, slender entrance made of red brick.

Another large structure is the Wringin Lawang, which is a split gateway. It has no doors and was likely used for ceremonies.

There is also the Segaran Pool, which is a huge rectangular area. It might have been a reservoir for fresh water.

We can still see the history of these people in museums.

The Trowulan Museum holds many artifacts found during excavations. These items include things like terracotta and tools used for making bronze. By looking at these objects, we see how people lived long ago. They had markets, religious sites, and busy neighborhoods. Learning about Trowulan helps us understand the great Majapahit Empire.

Trowulan is a vast archaeological site located in the Mojokerto Regency of East Java, Indonesia.

It covers approximately 100 square kilometers of land. Scholars believe this area was the capital city of the Majapahit Empire. The empire was a major power during the 14th and 15th centuries. This capital was known by names such as Majapahit or Wilwatikta. Today, the site serves as a window into a complex and dense urban civilization.

To understand how the city functioned, we can look at historical descriptions. The 14th-century poem Nagarakretagama provides poetic details about the royal sectors. It describes a royal compound protected by thick, high walls made of red brick. The main palace gate was located in the north wall and featured decorated iron doors. Inside the palace, there were courtyards for religious buildings and pavilions for bathing. Beyond the palace, different groups lived in specific quarters. These included Shiva priests, Buddhists, and members of the nobility. The city was organized into settlement units called "kuwu." These units consisted of groups of buildings surrounded by walls. A nobleman would control these groups, which allowed many people to live closely together.

Daily life in the capital involved sophisticated architecture and social structures. A 15th-century Chinese source describes the palace as being very clean and well-kept. The palace walls were reportedly more than 10 meters high and featured double gates. Houses within the city were built on pillars and stood 10 to 13 meters high. These dwellings had wooden floors covered with fine mats. The roofs were made of wooden shingles, while commoners used straw for their roofs. A book on court etiquette even described the capital as a place where one could walk without passing through paddy fields. This suggests a very dense and continuous urban environment.

The history of Trowulan is marked by both great power and sudden change. The empire reached its height in the 14th century, but conflict eventually arrived. In 1478, an invasion led by Girindrawardhana occurred to defeat the leader Kertabhumi. During this invasion, the city was razed, meaning it was leveled or destroyed. Following this event, the capital of the Majapahit Empire was moved to a place called Daha in Kediri.

Over the centuries, much of the city was buried. Frequent flooding from the Brantas River and volcanic debris from Mount Kelud covered the ruins under meters of mud.

Archaeologists have uncovered many significant structures that still stand today.

Tikus Temple is a ritual bathing pool, or petirtaan, made of red brick. It is shaped like a sunken rectangular basin with steps leading down into it. Another notable structure is the Bajang Ratu gate. This is an elegant, slender red-brick gate that rises 16.5 meters high. It features intricate relief decorations of stories like the Ramayana.

Brahu Temple is a surviving structure that some believe served as a royal mortuary shrine for early Majapahit rulers.

Other massive works show how the city managed its resources and movement.

The Segaran Pool is a huge rectangular basin measuring 800 by 500 meters. The name comes from the Javanese word "segara," which means sea. While its exact purpose is debated, researchers suggest it may have been a city reservoir. This would provide essential freshwater to the dense population during dry seasons. Some local traditions suggest it was also used for training troops or as a royal swimming pool.

The Wringin Lawang is a massive "candi bentar," or split gateway. It stands 15.5 meters tall and has no doors. It likely served a ceremonial purpose to create a sense of grandeur for those entering important compounds.

Modern study of Trowulan connects the site to much larger global histories. In the Troloyo hamlet, many Islamic tombstones have been found dating from 1350 to 1478. These artifacts prove that a Muslim community was well-established in Java by the mid-14th century. It also shows that Islam was practiced within the royal capital itself. At the Menak Jingga Temple, researchers found ornaments shaped like the Qilin, a mythical Chinese creature. This suggests a strong cultural relationship between Majapahit and the Ming Dynasty in China.

Through these findings, Trowulan reveals how a powerful empire connected different religions, cultures, and technologies.