Recommended listening: Durga Mantra
Story
Throughout many different times and places, political leaders have often seen themselves in the gods they worship. Whether it is because they believe that they were divinely ordained to rule or because they aspire to emulate the governors of the cosmos while governing on Earth, they have long cultivated close personal relationships with deities. In the case of Queen Mahendradatta of Bali and her patron goddess Durga, this relationship was woven through the queen's life and beyond.
Mahendradatta, also known as Gunapriya Dharmapatni, was a Javanese princess from the powerful Medang Kingdom. In an effort to deepen the ties between Java and its neighbouring island of Bali, she married the Balinese king Udayana Warmadewa. Java had been torn between Buddhist and Hindu factions in the decades leading up to Mahendradatta's birth around 961. Her family was a relatively new dynasty, vying with the Buddhist faction to ensure Hinduism's supermacy in Java. By marrying into the Balinese royal family, Mahendradatta strengthened her family's position back home in Java, but she also took the marriage as an opportunity to accelerate the Hinduization of Bali.
Building on a tradition of strong female rule within her own family, Mahendradatta ruled jointly with her husband. Royal decrees and inscriptions often bore her name before his, and she is credited with many of the accomplishments of his reign. Her renowned wisdom and influence throughout the Indonesian archipelago helped strengthen her husband's rule. As part of the changes she instituted in Bali, she brought in four prominent clergymen from Java. In the year 1000, she brought in Mpu Ghana, a holy Brahmin and teacher from Java. A devotee of the god Ganesha who practiced serious asceticism, Mpu Ghana established an important ashram near the southwest coast of the island. Today, Mpu Ghana is revered as one of the Panca Titra, the five holy teachers of Balinese Hinduism. A temple, Pura Dasar Buana, was built on the site in the 13th century which still stands. Although Mahendradatta favoured Hindu teachers, she also brought a Mahayana Buddhist called Mpu Kuturan to the island.
While Mahendradatta's patronage of religious centres had obvious political undertones, the evidence suggests that the spread of Hinduism was a cause close to her heart. She is credited with introducing the worship of the goddess Durga to the island. Durga is one of the most powerful goddesses in Hinduism. A goddess of war, she is a protective mother goddess capable of great wrath. Her violence is never motivated by bloodlust, however, and her perenially serene face conveys her commitment to doing only that which is necessary for good to triumph over evil. Depicted with either eight or ten arms, she is usually shown subduing the buffalo demon Mahishashura. It had been decreed that Mahishashura could be defeated by no man. Just when the gods were at a loss for what to do to stop his destruction, Durga was born out of their collective energies. The male gods then gave her their weapons, and she alone was able to defeat the demon and restore order to the world. It is easy to see how the powerful queen Mahendradatta would have looked to Durga as a model for her own rule in Bali: She had to use her power decisively without appearing tyrannical and succeed as a woman in a political sphere dominated by men.
Aside from her contributions to the development of Hinduism in Bali, Mahendradatta is remembered as the mother of Airlangga, a heroic king foundational to Balinese identity. After being trained by his mother for life as a ruler, Airlangga was sent to be educated in her brother's court in Java. Tragically, around the time of Mahendradatta's own death, Airlangga's wedding to the Javanese princess was interrupted by a violent attack by Medang's Buddhist rivals. The king of Java was slain, as was King Udayana of Bali, but Airlangga escaped and fled into hiding at a jungle hermitage. Later, however, he would return to the throne and rule over both Java and Bali, a birthright inherited through his mother. Airlangga built temples to memoralize both of his parents. In the temple of Pura Bukit Dharma Durga Kutri, he honoured his mother beyond all others by commissioning a statue of her represented as Durga Mahisasuramardini — Durga slaying the buffalo demon.
Later folklore has clouded Mahendradatta's legacy. Through her link to Durga, she has come to be associated in some stories with the widowed demon queen Rangda. The story goes that Mahendradatta was banished by her husband for practicing black magic, and so she plagued half the kingdom with disease in retribution before being bested by a holy man. This story conflates her with a legendary witch who her son Airlangga defeated. The Rangda character is a popular one in Bali, and her struggle with Airlangga is regularly depicted in dance. However, the historical record suggests that there is no truth behind the entanglement of Mahendradatta and Rangda's stories. Both Rangda and Mahendradatta are associated with Durga, but the connection ends there.
Here Mahendradatta is depicted as a mature queen, praying before a statue of Durga in the temple where her son would later commemorate her as Durga herself. Her crown is a jatamakuta, a crown of gold and woven dreadlocks, a hairstyle said to have been introduced to the world by the god Shiva himself. Dressed in the finest batik textiles and golden accoutrements, she mimics the statue of Durga in her dress (or, perhaps, the other way around). Today, Bali is the only island in Indonesia which still supports a Hindu majority population; the endurance of the religion she worked hard to spread throughout the island is probably Mahendradatta's greatest historical legacy. She was a queen who was self-assured in her own right to rule and committed to strengthening her religion in her new home. She was so successful and influential that her son, the great hero of Bali, honoured her memory by erecting a statue of her after her death, deified as the goddess she cherished most.
Mahendradatta, also known as Gunapriya Dharmapatni, was a Javanese princess from the powerful Medang Kingdom. In an effort to deepen the ties between Java and its neighbouring island of Bali, she married the Balinese king Udayana Warmadewa. Java had been torn between Buddhist and Hindu factions in the decades leading up to Mahendradatta's birth around 961. Her family was a relatively new dynasty, vying with the Buddhist faction to ensure Hinduism's supermacy in Java. By marrying into the Balinese royal family, Mahendradatta strengthened her family's position back home in Java, but she also took the marriage as an opportunity to accelerate the Hinduization of Bali.
Building on a tradition of strong female rule within her own family, Mahendradatta ruled jointly with her husband. Royal decrees and inscriptions often bore her name before his, and she is credited with many of the accomplishments of his reign. Her renowned wisdom and influence throughout the Indonesian archipelago helped strengthen her husband's rule. As part of the changes she instituted in Bali, she brought in four prominent clergymen from Java. In the year 1000, she brought in Mpu Ghana, a holy Brahmin and teacher from Java. A devotee of the god Ganesha who practiced serious asceticism, Mpu Ghana established an important ashram near the southwest coast of the island. Today, Mpu Ghana is revered as one of the Panca Titra, the five holy teachers of Balinese Hinduism. A temple, Pura Dasar Buana, was built on the site in the 13th century which still stands. Although Mahendradatta favoured Hindu teachers, she also brought a Mahayana Buddhist called Mpu Kuturan to the island.
While Mahendradatta's patronage of religious centres had obvious political undertones, the evidence suggests that the spread of Hinduism was a cause close to her heart. She is credited with introducing the worship of the goddess Durga to the island. Durga is one of the most powerful goddesses in Hinduism. A goddess of war, she is a protective mother goddess capable of great wrath. Her violence is never motivated by bloodlust, however, and her perenially serene face conveys her commitment to doing only that which is necessary for good to triumph over evil. Depicted with either eight or ten arms, she is usually shown subduing the buffalo demon Mahishashura. It had been decreed that Mahishashura could be defeated by no man. Just when the gods were at a loss for what to do to stop his destruction, Durga was born out of their collective energies. The male gods then gave her their weapons, and she alone was able to defeat the demon and restore order to the world. It is easy to see how the powerful queen Mahendradatta would have looked to Durga as a model for her own rule in Bali: She had to use her power decisively without appearing tyrannical and succeed as a woman in a political sphere dominated by men.
Aside from her contributions to the development of Hinduism in Bali, Mahendradatta is remembered as the mother of Airlangga, a heroic king foundational to Balinese identity. After being trained by his mother for life as a ruler, Airlangga was sent to be educated in her brother's court in Java. Tragically, around the time of Mahendradatta's own death, Airlangga's wedding to the Javanese princess was interrupted by a violent attack by Medang's Buddhist rivals. The king of Java was slain, as was King Udayana of Bali, but Airlangga escaped and fled into hiding at a jungle hermitage. Later, however, he would return to the throne and rule over both Java and Bali, a birthright inherited through his mother. Airlangga built temples to memoralize both of his parents. In the temple of Pura Bukit Dharma Durga Kutri, he honoured his mother beyond all others by commissioning a statue of her represented as Durga Mahisasuramardini — Durga slaying the buffalo demon.
Later folklore has clouded Mahendradatta's legacy. Through her link to Durga, she has come to be associated in some stories with the widowed demon queen Rangda. The story goes that Mahendradatta was banished by her husband for practicing black magic, and so she plagued half the kingdom with disease in retribution before being bested by a holy man. This story conflates her with a legendary witch who her son Airlangga defeated. The Rangda character is a popular one in Bali, and her struggle with Airlangga is regularly depicted in dance. However, the historical record suggests that there is no truth behind the entanglement of Mahendradatta and Rangda's stories. Both Rangda and Mahendradatta are associated with Durga, but the connection ends there.
Here Mahendradatta is depicted as a mature queen, praying before a statue of Durga in the temple where her son would later commemorate her as Durga herself. Her crown is a jatamakuta, a crown of gold and woven dreadlocks, a hairstyle said to have been introduced to the world by the god Shiva himself. Dressed in the finest batik textiles and golden accoutrements, she mimics the statue of Durga in her dress (or, perhaps, the other way around). Today, Bali is the only island in Indonesia which still supports a Hindu majority population; the endurance of the religion she worked hard to spread throughout the island is probably Mahendradatta's greatest historical legacy. She was a queen who was self-assured in her own right to rule and committed to strengthening her religion in her new home. She was so successful and influential that her son, the great hero of Bali, honoured her memory by erecting a statue of her after her death, deified as the goddess she cherished most.
Artist's Comments
This illustration has been a very long time in the making. Mahendradatta was one of the first women I wanted to include in the project when it started almost two years ago. However, I struggled for a long time with the composition, since I wanted to show her venerating Durga but was daunted by the prospect of drawing an eight-armed statue. I am so happy to have finally faced that challenge so that I can bring you Durga's story today. This took a very long time to research and draw, but I'm so pleased with how it turned out! Thanks to everyone who helped me while I was working on it! ~ December 19, 2019
Resources
Want to learn more about Mahendradatta, Durga, and the women of Bali? Here are some recommended resources.
"Pura Bukhit Dharma Durga Kutri" on Bali Kasogatan
This article (linked here translated into English by Google) goes into detail about the history of the temple this picture is drawn in. This includes analysis of the statue of Mahendradatta as Durga which you can still see, albeit in eroded form, at the temple today. You'll find references to Mahendradatta here under her other name, Gunapriya Dharmapatni. You can learn more about the temple Gunung Kawi, where she is buried, here and here.
"Mahendradatta: Archaeological and Historical Troubles" on Bentara Budaya Bali
This Indonesian cultural institute hosted an exhibit centred around Mahendradatta in 2016. The link above, translated into English by Google, gives an overview of her life and what the exhibition entailed.
"Dharma Udayana Warmadewa" on Sejarahraha Kerajaan
This blogger's thorough treatment of Mahendradatta's husband's life features several references to her. The link above is translated into English by Google (and not particularly well). Included here is the account of Mahendradatta's (or her husband's) appointment of Hindu and Buddhist clergy in Bali who were brought over from Java.
"Java: Arts and Representations: Art historical and Archaeometric Analyses of Ancient Jewellery (7-16th c)" by Mai Lin Tjoa-Bonatz and Nicole Lockhoff
Great scholarly overview of the jewellery people wore in medieval Indonesia. I used some of the rings pictured here to inspire Mahendradatta's jewellery, and this article also offered crucial confirmation that the Indonesian royalty actually wore what they depicted their kings, queens and gods as wearing in art.
"The Story of Goddess Durga" from Mocomi Kids
Animated version of Durga's central story, the slaying of the buffalo demon Mahishasura.
Fabricating Power from Balinese Textiles
This website for a 2018 art exhibition at Bard Graduate Gallery takes you through three different stages in life and the traditional Balinese textiles that accompany them.
"Pura Bukhit Dharma Durga Kutri" on Bali Kasogatan
This article (linked here translated into English by Google) goes into detail about the history of the temple this picture is drawn in. This includes analysis of the statue of Mahendradatta as Durga which you can still see, albeit in eroded form, at the temple today. You'll find references to Mahendradatta here under her other name, Gunapriya Dharmapatni. You can learn more about the temple Gunung Kawi, where she is buried, here and here.
"Mahendradatta: Archaeological and Historical Troubles" on Bentara Budaya Bali
This Indonesian cultural institute hosted an exhibit centred around Mahendradatta in 2016. The link above, translated into English by Google, gives an overview of her life and what the exhibition entailed.
"Dharma Udayana Warmadewa" on Sejarahraha Kerajaan
This blogger's thorough treatment of Mahendradatta's husband's life features several references to her. The link above is translated into English by Google (and not particularly well). Included here is the account of Mahendradatta's (or her husband's) appointment of Hindu and Buddhist clergy in Bali who were brought over from Java.
"Java: Arts and Representations: Art historical and Archaeometric Analyses of Ancient Jewellery (7-16th c)" by Mai Lin Tjoa-Bonatz and Nicole Lockhoff
Great scholarly overview of the jewellery people wore in medieval Indonesia. I used some of the rings pictured here to inspire Mahendradatta's jewellery, and this article also offered crucial confirmation that the Indonesian royalty actually wore what they depicted their kings, queens and gods as wearing in art.
"The Story of Goddess Durga" from Mocomi Kids
Animated version of Durga's central story, the slaying of the buffalo demon Mahishasura.
Fabricating Power from Balinese Textiles
This website for a 2018 art exhibition at Bard Graduate Gallery takes you through three different stages in life and the traditional Balinese textiles that accompany them.