Nusantara (term)

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Nusantara is the Indonesian name of Maritime Southeast Asia (or certain parts of it). It is an Old Javanese term that literally means "outer islands". In Indonesia, it is generally taken to mean the Indonesian Archipelago. Outside of Indonesia, the term has been adopted to refer to the Malay Archipelago. The term 'Nusantara' first recorded in the 1177 Saka (1255 AD) Mūla Malurung inscription of the Singhasari Kingdom. The word Nusantara is also taken from an oath by Gajah Mada in 1336, as written in the Old Javanese Pararaton. Gajah Mada was a powerful military leader and prime minister of Majapahit credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. Gajah Mada delivered the Palapa oath, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of Nusantara under the glory of Majapahit. The concept of Nusantara as a unified region was not invented by Gajah Mada in 1336. Furthermore, in 1275, the term Cakravala Mandala Dvipantara was used by Kertanegara of Singasari...

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