Gajah Mada Personality Type
14th-century political leader of the Majapahit Empire
Gajah Mada (c. 1290 – c. 1364), also known as Jirnnodhara was, according to Old Javanese manuscripts, poems, and mythology, a powerful military leader and Mahapatih (the approximate equivalent of a modern Prime Minister) of the Javanese empire of Majapahit during the 14th century. He is credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory.He delivered an oath called Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed to live an ascetic lifestyle (by not consuming food containing spices) until he had conquered all of the Southeast Asian archipelago of Nusantara for Majapahit. During his reign, the Hindu epics, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, became ingrained in the Javanese culture and worldview through the performing arts of wayang kulit (“leather puppets”). He is considered an important national hero in modern Indonesia, as well as a symbol of patriotism and national unity. Historical accounts of his life, political career, and administration are taken from several sources, mainly Pararaton ("The Book of Kings"), the Nagarakretagama (a Javanese-language eulogy), and an inscription dating from the mid 14th century.
