Nusantara is an Indonesian word for the Indonesian archipelago.[1] Its base meaning in Sanskrit and Indonesian is "archipelago".[2] Particularly in an historic sense, Indonesians often use the term to refer to the archipelago between the Asian and Australian continents, often referred to as the "Malay Archipelago".[3]
The word Nusantara was taken from an oath by Gajah Mada, as written on an old Javanese old manuscript by Negarakertagama.[citation needed] Gajah Mada (d. circa 1364) was, according to ancient Javanese manuscripts, poems and mythology, a famous military leader and prime minister (mahapatih) of the Majapahit Empire, credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. Gajah Mada is said to have delivered an oath called Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of Nusantara.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Echols, John M.; Shadily, Hassan (1989 (1st edition)), Kamus Indonesia Inggris (An Indonesian-English Dictionary) (6th edition ed.), Jakarta: Gramedia, ISBN 979-403-756-7
- ^ Friend, T. (2003). Indonesian Destinies. Harvard University Press. p. 603. ISBN 0-674-01137-6.
- ^ Moores, Eldridge M.; Fairbridge, Rhodes Whitmore (1997). Encyclopedia of European and Asian regional geology. Springer. p. 377. ISBN 0412740400. http://books.google.com/books?id=aYRup5mRcGsC&pg=PA377&dq=%22malay+archipelago%22+2+million+km%C2%B2#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
External links
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