Nusantara

Nusantara is an Indonesian word for the Indonesian archipelago. It is originated from Old Javanese and literally means "archipelago". In Malay, Nusantara bears the meaning of Malay World.

The word Nusantara was taken from an oath by Gajah Mada in 1336, as written on an old Javanese manuscript Pararaton and Negarakertagama. Gajah Mada was a powerful military leader and prime minister of the Majapahit Empire who was credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. Gajah Mada delivered an oath called Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of Nusantara under the glory of Majapahit.

Today, Indonesian historian believed that the concept of Nusantara was not an idea coined by Gajah Mada for the first time in 1336. It was coined earlier in 1275 as Cakravala Mandala Dvipantara by Kertanegara, king of Singhasari. Dvipantara is a Sanskrit word for the "islands in between", the synonym to Nusantara as both dvipa and nusa in Sanskrit means "island". The term is used to describe the Southeast Asian Archipelago. Kertanegara envisioned the union of Southeast Asian maritime kingdoms under Singhasari against the rising of expansive Mongol Yuan Dynasty in mainland China.

Read more about Nusantara:  The First Appearance of Nusantara Concept in The 20th Century, Modern Usage, Nusantara Studies