Trowulan

Trowulan

Bajang Ratu, the elegant paduraksa-style gate at Trowulan, Mojokerto
Alternative name	Wilwatikta
Location	Trowulan, Mojokerto Regency, East Java
Region	Indonesia
Coordinates	7°32′30.80″S 112°23′27.54″E / 7.5418889°S 112.3909833°E / -7.5418889; 112.3909833
History
Founded	unknown; completed circa 14th–15th century
Periods	Hindu-Buddhist period
Cultures	Majapahit
Site notes
Excavation dates	19th to 20th century
Archaeologists	Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles J.W.B. Wardenaar R.A.A. Kromodjojo Adinegoro Henry Maclaine Pont Willem Frederik Stutterheim
Condition	Restored
Architecture
Architectural styles	Candi
Architectural details	Candi, urban settlement complex

Trowulan is an archaeological site in Trowulan Subdistrict, Mojokerto Regency, in the Indonesian province of East Java. It includes approximately 100 square kilometres and has been theorized to be the site of the eponymous capital city of the Majapahit Empire, which is described by Mpu Prapanca in the 14th-century poem Nagarakretagama and in a 15th-century Chinese source. When it was the capital of the Majapahit Empire, the city was known as Wilwatikta, which is a name also synonymous with the empire's name. It was razed during the invasion of Girindrawardhana to defeat Kertabhumi in 1478. After this event Majapahit's capital was moved to Daha (Kediri). The Trowulan Museum includes a collection of artifacts.

The Nagarakretagama contains poetic descriptions of the palace of Majapahit and its surroundings but is limited to the royal and religious sectors. Some of the details are vague, so scholars who have tried to compile a plan of the capital have come to different conclusions.

Older research at Trowulan has concentrated on monumental remains: temples, tombs, and a bathing place. Archaeological surveys and excavations have recently found the remains of industrial, commercial, and religious activity, habitation areas, water supply systems, and water canals all of which are evidence of dense population during the 14th to 15th centuries.^[1][2] In October 2009, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia submitted Trowulan to the UNESCO World Heritage list.^[3]