Balaputra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Balaputra |
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| Maharaja of Srivijaya | |||||
A picture of Balaputradewa, a king of Srivijaya from the 9th century. This image was shown at an exhibition in 2017.
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| Srivijayan Emperor | |||||
| Reign | 835–860? | ||||
| Predecessor | Position established | ||||
| Successor | Sri Indrawarman | ||||
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Balaputradewa was an important king, known as a maharaja, who ruled the ancient kingdom of Srivijaya in the 9th century. He was also a leader of the Sailendra family, which was a powerful ruling group. Balaputradewa was the youngest son of Maharaja Samaratunga and Dewi Tara. His mother, Dewi Tara, was the daughter of another Srivijayan king named Dharmasetu.
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Who Was Balaputradewa?
Balaputradewa grew up in a time when his family, the Sailendras, ruled parts of Java. When his father, Samaratunga, passed away, Balaputradewa was still young. As a young person who was supposed to become king, he faced many challenges. Local leaders in Central Java often tried to challenge his power.
A Young King's Challenges
A relative named Garung stepped in to guide Balaputradewa. Garung was part of the Sanjaya dynasty, another important family. Garung's son, Rakai Pikatan, married Balaputradewa's sister, Pramodhawardhani. This marriage connected the two powerful families. During the time Garung helped Balaputradewa, Java was quite peaceful. This period of guidance ended around 832 when Garung disappeared.
Becoming King of Srivijaya
Around the year 852, Rakai Pikatan of the Sanjaya family started to gain more power. He gathered support from many local nobles. Balaputradewa became worried about this and tried to stop Rakai Pikatan. However, Balaputradewa was not very experienced in leading battles. His efforts to regain control failed.
Because of this defeat, the Sailendra family had to leave Java. Balaputradewa and his family moved to Palembang, which was the main city of Srivijaya. This city was also where Balaputradewa's mother, Tara, came from. Balaputradewa's loss to Rakai Pikatan is mentioned in an old writing called the Shivagrha inscription. It says that Balaputradewa built a strong fort of stones for safety. After this, the Sanjaya family took control of Central Java. They later started the Mataram Kingdom.
Soon after leaving Java, Balaputradewa became the ruler of Srivijaya.
Building a Legacy
There isn't a lot of information about Balaputradewa's time as king. However, we know some important things from an old writing called the Nalanda inscription. This writing tells us that Balaputradewa ordered the building of a Buddhist monastery in Nalanda, which is in India. This shows he was a supporter of Buddhism. He also sent a special messenger, called an ambassador, to China. This means he had connections with other powerful countries.
