Topic summary

Nagarakretagama

Nagarakretagama

The Nagarakretagama (Sanskrit: नगरकृतागम, romanized: Nagarakṛtāgama, lit.'perfect doctrine of the state'), originally known as Desawarnana (Sanskrit: देशवर्णन, romanized: Deśavarṇana, lit.'description of districts'), is an Old Javanese historical chronicle and eulogy to Hayam Wuruk, a Javaneseking of the Majapahit Empire. It is kakawin poem written by a Buddhist cleric with the pen-name Prapañca in 1365 CE (1287 of the Shaka era). It was subsequently transmitted in the form of palm leaf manuscripts that have been found in Bali and Lombok. The Nagarakretagama contains detailed descriptions of the Javanese countryside and mentions many regions outside Java that the Majapahit king claimed authority over. The poem affirms the importance of Hinduism and Buddhism in Majapahit society describing temples and ceremonial observances.