Gajah Mada << GAH jah MAH dah >> (1300?-1364) was a renowned prime minister and military leader of the Majapahit empire (1294-1486) in eastern Java in Southeast Asia. He is credited with helping to extend the empire’s control over most of the islands that make up what is now Indonesia. His name is sometimes spelled Gadjah Mada.
As a young man, Gajah Mada helped defend the throne of King Jayanagara against rebels. Jayanagara later made Gajah Mada’s wife his own concubine (wife of inferior rank). Gajah Mada persuaded the court doctor to murder the king in 1328. He then had the doctor executed for the crime.
Queen Tribhuwana (also spelled Tribhuvana) succeeded Jayanagara. In 1331, she appointed Gajah Mada patih (prime minister) of Majapahit. Gaja Mada kept this position under King Hayam Wuruk, who succeeded Tribhuwana in 1350. Under Gajah Mada’s direction, Majapahit’s influence extended over east Java and the islands of Madura and Bali. Gajah Mada is said to have taken an oath, known as the Sumpah Palapa, in which he promised to abstain from palapa until the islands were unified. Historians have suggested a number of meanings for the word palapa, including rest or food made with spices. Gajah Mada remained prime minister until his death in 1364.
