Kertajaya or Kritajaya also called Dandhang Gendhis was the last king of the

Kediri Kingdom Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Javanese Kingdom based in East Java from 1042 to around 1222. This kingdom is centered in the ancient city ''Dahanapura'', despite the lack o ...

who ruled around 1194–1222. At the end of his reign he declared that he wanted to be worshiped as a god. Kertajaya was killed by

Ken Arok Ken Arok (or Ken Angrok), Rajasa (died c. 1227), was the founder and first ruler of Singhasari (also spelled Singosari), a medieval Indianized Hindu–Buddhist kingdom in the East Java area of Indonesia. He is considered the founder of the Rajas ...

from Tumapel or

Singhasari Singhasari ( jv, ꦏꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦔ꧀ꦲꦱꦫꦶ, translit=Karaton Singhasari or , id, Kerajaan Singasari) was a Javanese Hindu kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded the Kingdom of Kediri as ...

, which ended the period of the Kediri Kingdom.

Ken Arok's Rebellion

In ''

Pararaton The Pararaton (''Book of Kings''), also known as the Katuturanira Ken Angrok (''Story of Ken Angrok''), is a Javanese historical chronicle written in Kawi (Old Javanese). The comparatively short text of 32 folio-size pages (1126 lines) contains ...

'' Maharaja Kertajaya is called by the name Prabu Dandhang Gendis. It is said that at the end of his reign the stability of the

began to decline. This condition was because the king intended to reduce the rights of the Brahmins. The king said he wanted to be worshiped as a god. The request of Prabu Dandhang Gendis certainly met resistance from the priests and the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

priests and Brahmins. Although Prabu Dandhang Gendis showed his magic by sitting cross-legged on a sharp spear that stood up. Some people who did not recognize Kertajaya's divinity had to be cruelly tortured to death. Meanwhile, those who acknowledge their divinity will be freed from all punishments and given an honorable position. The Brahmins and the priests who were afraid of them chose to flee, and because of his ethics and greed, Kertajaya continued to be rejected by the Brahmins. The Brahmins chose to leave the capital

Kingdom of Kediri Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Javanese Kingdom based in East Java from 1042 to around 1222. This kingdom is centered in the ancient city ''Dahanapura'', despite the lack o ...

. They left while continuing to tell Kertajaya's error to all the people of the kingdom they met. The Brahmins and priests asked for protection from the Tumapel area (

Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...

) under the leadership of

. they chose to take refuge in Ken Arok, a subordinate of Dandhang Gendis who became an ''akuwu'' (currently a ''camat'' level position) in the

Tumapel Tumapel was the capital city of Singhasari (1222 - 1292) near the modern city of Malang. Prior to Singhasari, it was under Kediri Kingdom Kediri Kingdom (also known as Panjalu) Javanese script : ꧋ꦥŋꦗꦭꦸ, was a ''Hindu-Buddhist'' Jav ...

area.

then made himself king and declared the

region as an independent kingdom, separated from Kediri. Knowing this, Kertajaya then prepared troops to attack Tumapel. Dandhang Gendis was not afraid at all. He claimed that he could only be defeated by

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. Hearing this,

took the title Bhatara Guru (another name

) and moved to lead the troops to attack Kediri.

Ganter Battle

Ken Arok with the support of the Brahmins carried out an attack on the

. The two armies had met near the village of Ganter, east of Kadiri. The war between

and Kediri was fierce near the Ganter village area. The warlords

Kadiri Kadiri is a major city in Sri Sathya Sai District the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a ''Special Grade'' Municipal City Council and headquarters of Kadiri Mandal and Kadiri Revenue Division. Kadiri Taluka ('Tehsil') was the largest taluk ...

namely Mahisa Walungan (Dandhang Gendis' sister) and Gubar Baleman died at the hands of

. Dandhang Gendis himself fled and hid up into heaven. ''

Nagarakretagama The ''Nagarakretagama'' or ''Nagarakṛtāgama'', also known as ''Desawarnana'' or ''Deśavarṇana'', is an Old Javanese eulogy to Hayam Wuruk, a Javanese king of the Majapahit Empire. It was written on lontar as a ''kakawin'' by Mpu Prapan ...

'' also briefly recounted the news of Kertajaya's defeat. It is said that Kertajaya fled and hid in the ''dewalaya'' (the realm of the gods). The two texts report that Kertajaya's escape place is the realm of the gods. The possibility is that Kertajaya was hiding in a worship temple, or Kertajaya died and went to the realm of the gods. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kertajaya Kediri Kingdom History of Indonesia Indonesian Hindu monarchs Javanese people 1220s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain 12th-century Indonesian people 13th-century Indonesian people