Origins & Early Life

Hayam Vuruk (Indonesian: Hayam Wuruk; Sanskrit: हयम् वुरुक्; Javanese: ꦲꦪꦩ꧀ꦮꦸꦫꦸꦏ꧀) (1334–1389), also called Rajasanagara, Pa-ta-na-pa-na-wu, or Bhatara Prabhu after 1350, was a Javanese Hindu emperor from the Rajasa dynasty and the 4th emperor of the Majapahit Empire. Together with his prime minister Gajah Mada, he reigned the empire at the time of its greatest power. During his reign, the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, became ingrained in the culture and worldview of the Javanese through the wayang kulit (leather puppets). He was preceded by Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, and succeeded by his son-in-law Wikramawardhana.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Most of the accounts of his life were taken from the Nagarakretagama, a eulogy to Hayam Wuruk, and the Pararaton ("Book of Kings"), a Javanese historical chronicle. According to the Nagarakretagama, Canto 1, Stanzas 4 and 5, he was born in 1256 Saka year, corresponding to 1334 CE, the same year that Mount Kelud erupted. Mpu Prapanca, author of the Nagarakretagama, argued that this was the divine sign that Batara Girinata (the Javanese name for Shiva Mahadewa) had manifested himself on earth, reincarnated as the Javanese king. His birth...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Luo Guanzhong — Contemporary (Born in 1334) (1334): Master novelist of the Ming Dynasty, credited with Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
• Baha' al-Din Naqshband — Contemporary (Died in 1389) (1389): Founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, a major figure in Islamic mysticism.
• Cosimo de' Medici — Contemporary (Born in 1389) (1389): Banker and patron who established the Medici family's rule over Renaissance Florence.
• Hafez — Contemporary (Died in 1389) (1389): Master Persian lyric poet and mystic whose works remain central to Iranian culture.
• Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya — Historical peer (Died in 1350) (1350): Influential Hanbali scholar, jurist, and theologian of the Mamluk era.
• Vytautas the Great — Historical peer (Born in 1350) (1350): Grand Duke of Lithuania, a pivotal figure in the nation's struggle for power and rebirth.
• Władysław I Łokietek — Contemporary figure (Died in 1333) (1333): Piast dynasty ruler who was King of Poland from 1320 to 1333.
• Wang Zhen (inventor) — Contemporary figure (Died in 1333) (1333): Yuan Dynasty agronomist, inventor, and pioneer of wooden movable type printing.
• Marsilius of Inghen — Contemporary figure (Born in 1335) (1335): Dutch philosopher of the later Middle Ages, known for his work at the University of Paris and Heidelberg.
• Taejo of Joseon — Contemporary figure (Born in 1335) (1335): Founder and first monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, establishing a new era in Korean history.
• 1334 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1334
• 1389 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1389