Balitung , with its full title Sri Maharaja Rakai Watukura Dyah Balitung Sri Dharmodaya Mahasambu , was a ruler of the kingdom of Mataram , who ruled from 899 to 910 on a territory covering central and eastern Java Island in Indonesia .
The circumstances of Balitung’s accession to power are unclear. Indonesian historians Boechari and Poerbatjaraka believe that Balitung became king by marriage with the daughter of his predecessor, the rakai (“Lord of”) Watuhumalang, whose name we are known by the inscription Mantyasih. But Watuhumalang himself had a son, known by his Daksa reign name. It is possible that Balitung was elected king rather than his brother-in-law Daksa.
The oldest written document mentioning the name of Balitung is Telahap’s inscription, dated 899. It is possible, however, that he had ascended the throne before.
Boechari thinks that Balitung’s reign ends with a Daksa rebellion in 910.
Bibliography
- Marwati Poesponegoro and Nugroho Notosusanto, Sejarah Nasional Indonesia , Balai Pustaka, Jakarta, 1990
- Slamet Muljana, Menuju Puncak Kemegahan , Yogyakarta, 2005
- Slamet Muljana, Sriwijaya , Yogyakarta, 2006