Samaratungga facts for kids

Borobudur, the largest Buddhist structure in the world built by the Sailendra dynasty under Samaratungga

Samaratungga was an important leader of the Sailendra dynasty. This dynasty ruled over two powerful ancient kingdoms: the Mataram Kingdom on the island of Java and the Srivijaya kingdom in Southeast Asia. He led these kingdoms during the 8th and 9th centuries. Samaratungga took over as king after King Indra. His name is found on an old stone carving called the Karangtengah inscription, which dates back to 824 CE. This inscription tells us that he built a special Buddhist building called Venuvana. This name means "bamboo forest" in an ancient language called Sanskrit. It was built to hold the ashes of his predecessor, King Indra.

During his time as ruler, Samaratungga started building the huge Buddhist temple known as Borobudur. This is one of the world's most famous Buddhist monuments. Samaratungga also married Dewi Tara, who was a princess from the Srivijaya kingdom. Her father was the Srivijayan ruler Dharmasetu. This marriage helped create a strong friendship and political link between the Sailendra dynasty and Srivijaya.

Family and Successors

Samaratungga had two children: a son named Balaputra and a daughter named Pramodhawardhani. After Samaratungga passed away, his daughter Pramodhawardhani married Rakai Pikatan. Rakai Pikatan was a leader from the Sanjaya dynasty, which followed a different religion called Shivaism.

Rakai Pikatan was able to take control of Central Java from Balaputra. This led to the Sailendra family, including Balaputra, leaving Java and moving to Srivijaya.

Rise of the Khmer Empire

During Samaratungga's rule, a person named Jayavarman II was made governor of a place called Indrapura. This area was in the Mekong Delta, which is now part of Cambodia. Later, Jayavarman II decided to break away from the Sailendra dynasty and Srivijaya. He then went on to create the powerful Khmer Empire.