Rajasenegara (king) Wijaya started the Majapahit Empire in Eastern Java in the year 1293 CE. The Majapahit empire began a rather formidable empire in Indonesia, which was extremely politically fragmented at the time. The empire was the last Hindu empire in Indonesia. By the time of its height, the Majapahit Empire had already defeated the mighty military of Kublai Khan, a vistory on par with the Greek victory at Marathon. Hayam Wuruk was born in 1334 a year which coincided with the occurrence of the earthquake in Pabanyupindah in Java. At the age of sixteen, his mother, the ruler of the Majapahit Kingdom, Queen Tribhuwana Wijayattungga Dewi abdicated in favor of her son, and Hayam Wuruk ascended the throne. Along with his minister, he attempted to unite the Indonesian archipelago with the help of his right-hand minister, Gajah Mada. In a decisive campaign, the city of Palembang in Sumatra was captured, and the kingdom of Sri Vijaya, a Buddhist stronghold in the archipelago fell. Over time he along with Gajah Mada, conquered a majority of the Indonesian archipelago. Under Majapahit rule, Hinduism spread across the empire, and people across the Indonesian archipelago traded with each other. The usage of shadow puppets or Wayang Kulit was used to teach the people of the Majapahit Kingdom about the Ramayana or the Mahabharata. Hayam Wuruk died in the year 1389. He was buried in the city of Tajung, and succeeded by his son-in-law, Wikramawardhana. The Majapahit contined to remain a powerful force in Indonesia until 1478, when it collapsed. The empire that Hayam Wuruk built became a great source of pride for Indonesian nationalists, and to Hindu revivalists, who state that it was a Hindu state that united the Indonesian Archipelago.
