Southeast Asia is one of the
most diverse places on the planet. With so many different cultures, and religions, all living side by side. And I'm an example of just that. My name is Peter Lee. I'm a Singaporean scholar
of Peranakan descent, Chinese with a dash of Malay blood. I celebrate being mixed up, it's in my DNA. My passion... is collecting artefacts that offer a fresh narrative. It's a European fairy tale, but it is depicted on
a batik from Indonesia. How wonderful is that! I'm setting off on a new journey, travelling further back in time. Oh my god! We see this everywhere
in Southeast Asia. To explore how the
region's mighty empires have shaped our collective identity. This is a gold mine! No culture exists in isolation. In this episode,
I'm travelling to Indonesia... to learn about
a 700-year-old empire that once dominated these islands. They built a trading empire so vast that it stretched across
much of the Spice Route. I'm probing the secrets of how it grew into one of
Southeast Asia's greatest powers, and how its legacy lives on today. The world's largest
island state of Indonesia is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, more than six religions
and 300 different ethnicities, all once unified by
the Majapahit Empire. To find out how it all comes
together as one nation today, I'm in a 4th grade
civics education class. My name is Peter Lee. I'm from Singapore. -Do you all know where Singapore is?
-Yes. Singapore is a small island
and Indonesia is so big. And we have only four main races. So today, I want to learn
a little bit more about Indonesia. Can you tell me
where your family is from? We think we're
a melting pot in Singapore, but right here, I've just
found over 10 ethnicities. I want to find out how their teacher,
Neni Herawati, bridges these differences. <i>Bhinneka Tunggal Ika</i>
or 'unity in diversity' is Indonesia's national motto. But where did this phrase come from? And what's the story
behind this call to unity? Yudhi Irawan is showing
me the "Sutasoma", a 700-year-old poem,
written on dried palm leaves. I've handled so many
ancient and archaic materials, but I've never handled anything
of such great national importance. Sutasoma was an Indian prince
with no interest in ruling. So he left his kingdom to travel. One story records
a clash between religions. A wicked king called Purushada
lived off the flesh of his subjects. To help them,
Buddha reincarnate, Prince Sutasoma
offered his own body. But this offended Purushada, who called on Lord Shiva,
the Hindu god of destruction, to kill Sutasoma. The Buddha and Lord Shiva battled. But both were equally strong. The battle continued... until the priests told them
to stop fighting. Because although they looked different, in reality, they were one. -So this the famous Bhinneka Tunggal Ika?
-Yes. That's wonderful. It's a parable of religious harmony during the 200-year
rule of the Majapahit, that stood for how
Buddhism and Hinduism were often practised side by side. An idea of acceptance that
continues to have resonance today. The Majapahit is said to
have been the first kingdom to unite the diverse archipelago. To understand how it flourished, I'm starting at the very beginning. In 1289, an envoy from
the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan landed in Java to demand allegiance. But King Kertanegara
sent them packing, by mutilating their faces. In retaliation,
Kublai Khan sent a mighty fleet of 1,000 ships and 20,000 men
to unseat the Javanese king. But when they landed
in Java three years later, King Kertanegara had
been assassinated, and in his place was a different king. A prince called Raden Wijaya
saw his chance. He offered to help the Mongols
overthrow the new king, and swear allegiance
to the Great Khan. Together, they attacked, and captured the king. But then, Raden Wijaya turned on
his allies with a surprise attack, and the Mongols fled,
never to return. In 1294, Raden Wijaya became
the first king of the Majapahit, and built his capital in
the hinterlands of Java, in the city of Trowulan. Centuries ago, this was one
of its most important gateways. Split gates such as these
were built to impress and intimidate. And I can really feel
that standing here. I want to see what else
is left of the Majapahit Empire. The people of Majapahit worshipped
in places like these called "candis". They were usually either
Hindu or Buddhist temples, but people often visited both. This one was re-discovered in 1905. Sumariyanto heads a local effort
to restore the temple to its former glory. The work is being done at the top, but I suffer a bit from vertigo. Rickety stairs...not my favourite thing. I can't look down. An amazing view up here! The design is based on surviving
remnants of the bricks on one side, and there even some carved
bricks that have survived. They are just going
to leave this like this so you can clearly see
what is original and what has been replaced. But there's still plenty left to be done, and I want to help. I'm trying to do this carefully because
I don't want to waste their precious bricks. The next step is to
grind the bricks down. Look at how wonderfully and
perfectly aligned these bricks are. So, this new one on the top has to be ground until
it's a perfect and snug fit. It takes ages.
It's not easy to do. I'm 20 minutes in and nowhere close
to meeting Pak Surmariyanto's standards. I'm getting some help
to do the final touches. The last step is to set it
with some mortar. That's a perfect fit! It's great to see this
Majapahit heritage being cared for especially since nearly
90% of Indonesians today are no longer Hindu or Buddhist. There is a Muslim cemetery here, there is a mosque, there's a school on the other side. This is really part
of the neighbourhood. I just love the way
this is so integrated. It's one of the most
beautiful things to experience. Majapahit's religious tolerance
resulted in peace throughout the kingdom. But it was geography, its position on the island of Java
between India and China that saw the Majapahit
grow into a trading power. I've been allowed access
to a dig site in the old capital that can provide evidence of just
how wealthy the Empire once was. Yusmaini Eriawati and her team
have uncovered the base of a house with 700-year-old artefacts. Just brush away the soil? This is a very precious,
old part of some ceramic pot. It's actually beautifully rendered, and it's more typical to see
a lotus flower, not the leaf. This is very beautiful. The team has made
a variety of finds that tell an exciting story
of the Empire's reach. I'm blown away by how
cosmopolitan the Majapahit were. Religious and ethnic tolerance,
combined with its strategic location, were the building blocks for an empire. But the secret to its wealth was born from the island's
treacherous terrain. I'm in Java exploring how the
Majapahit grew into an empire. Just look at this. The quiet majesty
of rice fields and volcanoes. This island is part of what
geologists call the Ring of Fire. Of the 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, the largest cluster exists here in Java, so the people have lived here
for centuries on that very fine line between sublime beauty
and utter destruction. It was this particular geography that
gave the Majapahit a great advantage. I'm helping Darso Widodo, a third-generation farmer
from Karangpandan, Central Java, plant vegetables. Everyone should start
their morning like this. It's so good for the soul. It's almost enough to make me forget
about the ominous shape in the distance. I would be very scared
to live so close to a volcano. Mount Lawu has been
dormant since 1885. But in 2014, another volcano erupted
just 140 kilometres away. So it really has
its positive effect on farming. Volcanic ash is rich in minerals
that stimulate plant growth, making Java the most fertile
of all of Indonesia's islands and giving the Majapahit Empire
massive rice harvests, more than enough to feed
the local population and trade with merchants
from the Spice Islands, who would travel here
on monsoon trade winds that blew from the east
between June and September. Their boats were laden
with spices like clove, nutmeg and mace that they traded for rice. They would sail home
when the winds changed direction three months later. These west winds brought
a new set of merchants, who came to Java to trade their
porcelain, beads and textiles for spices. This trade turned Java's coastline
into thriving trade ports, including this... the city of Tuban. Tuban's golden age was
during the Majapahit period. It had a large community of
merchants, both local and foreign. And it was also the scene
of cultural transformation. I'm searching for an iconic product, born from the winds of trade. An art form that I feel
a deep connection with. Oh my goodness. As a collector of traditional textiles, I'm always on the lookout for good batik. My mother, my grandmother
and my ancestors all wore batik. So it's very much part of
the history of other countries, and it's a history of my community. Uswatun Hasanah is
a fourth-generation batik maker. This is another intangible aspect of
weaving that nobody ever talks about. The sound of batik. It takes over 30 steps
to make a piece of gedok cloth. And it begins with spinning
raw cotton into yarn. She's just letting the yarn pull itself. Oh my god. It's just happening like magic.
You just touch… Well, I'm obviously not the magician. Once the cloth is done
comes my favourite part: drawing patterns using wax. As a scholar,
I'm very interested in the designs. Being Peranakan and being
so mixed in many ways, I love seeing this wonderful mishmash
of vibrant dynamic patterns. The fabric is then soaked in a bath
of natural dyes before it's wrung out, a process that is repeated 30 times. This is an oxidisation process,
and we're starting to see the pattern. Tuban batiks are just the
earliest kind of batik that we know. There's a lot of pride in this
as something so Indonesian. But there were very interesting
influences going back and forth. We should be celebrating these links, rather than separating all our
cultures into different boundaries. Religious and ethnic tolerance, and its location at the centre
of a major trading route resulted in a blending of cultures
that powered the Majapahit Empire. But it was a legendary
prime minister who led the Empire to
its golden age in the 14th century: the Elephant General, Gajah Mada, who some say made an oath that he would not taste spice until all of their outer islands
were under Majapahit rule. True to his word, in 1331, he consolidated
the Empire's hold over Eastern Java. In 1343, he conquered Bali, and continued eastwards. By the mid 14th century,
Majapahit's tributary states were said to stretch from New Guinea
to parts of the Malay Archipelago. With extensive trade links,
the Empire grew richer and richer. And the extravagance of
the royal court knew no bounds. Under King Hayam Wuruk,
a great patron of Indonesian arts, the Empire built a rich cultural heritage that is beloved and
practised even today; something I want to experience first-hand. Look at this, it's very complicated.
The kind of coordination... you need rhythm, hand movements, there are so many things to think about. Wayang Topeng was performed
at the Majapahit court to entertain and impress
foreign guests from all over Asia. Sometimes, the king himself
would take to the stage. -So it's a very musical family.
-Yes. Just like mine. Pak Handoyo has kept the art alive
by teaching local children. And today, he has an older student. It takes a year
to master just one dance. The dancers perform tales
from popular folklore about a Javanese prince called Panji. It was a form of self-defence
and also attack. So this is the killer flick with a smile. Wayang Topeng actually
means 'masked dance'. Noble characters have delicate features, while evil ones have
bulging round eyes and fangs. The colour green is
reserved for Prince Panji, a role that Pak Handoyo has offered me
in this community performance. I do feel regal. I think I'm ready. It's time for me to impress my
waiting audience like a Majapahit king. One of Southeast Asia's
most powerful empires, the Majapahit impressed foreign
visitors with its court performances including the Wayang Topeng
or masked dance. A big favourite were tales of
the fabled Javanese prince Panji. Panji travels to get hold
of a heavenly flower only given to the pure of heart, a gift for the lady of his dreams. But his archenemy,
King Klana, has other plans. His minions try to steal the flower and a battle ensues. Finally, King Klana is defeated
and becomes Panji's disciple. The Panji stories represent
the sum of human experience: love, loss, despair, endurance, and ultimately, happiness. That was really amazing. To think Hayam Wuruk and all
these kings were playing these parts, and here I am doing
exactly the same thing. The Panji stories are great love epics, but what can they tell us
about the Majapahit? To find out, I'm visiting
the State Temple of Majapahit: Candi Penataran, home to the biggest
collection of Panji reliefs, that set in stone the very stories
the dances are created from. I'm going to play
this game with myself, trying to guess what
these stories are all about. It's easy to spot Panji
wearing a cap, which is actually
a Javanese headdress. Oh my goodness,
this is impossibly poignant! So we have here Panji. He is holding his scroll,
his love letter, which he is about
to hand over to a pigeon. And then over here,
we see turbulent waters and the pigeon flying above it. And here, delivering the
love letter to Candra Kirana. These are stories of Panji's struggles
to reunite with his one true love. The two come from different kingdoms, so it's a Romeo-and-Juliet story, except not quite. This is so beautiful! It is so charming and tender, and I think it marks
the end of the story, the finale, the reunion of the lovers. These stories weren't
just popular in Indonesia, but also in continental Southeast Asia, evidence of the
Majapahit's cultural influence. But the way it was carved
in stone at the State Temple suggests that the great love story
of the popular hero Panji was also used as a political symbol of unity between different peoples. Under Hayam Wuruk,
Majapahit's celebrated king, the Empire became greater than ever. But what was the relationship between
the Majapahit centre of power in Java and their other islands? I'm heading next to Lake Matano
on the island of Sulawesi. Here, researchers are looking below
the deepest lake in Indonesia in search of clues about how the Empire
controlled these faraway islands. The water is so clear. I'm going to join them now. This was a lakeside settlement
most likely sunk by earthquakes. It's full of pebbles of very
uneven sizes, different rocks. You can even see artefacts. It's incredible! And here is where the real magic is… an old iron workshop
hidden 15 metres below. Archaeologist Shinatria Adhityatama
and his team are bringing up a few artefacts
for a closer look. Is it made locally? Oh my god, so this is
8th-century charcoal still... in this condition. That's incredible! To find a piece of metal
from the lake that is not rusty, I mean, that's just
short of a miracle, I think. Sulawesi means "Island of Iron". But it's the traces of nickel here that have
preserved these artefacts for centuries. Would this material have been exported? Shinatria explained to me
that historians are still divided on the extent of the Majapahit's rule
over Indonesia's outer islands. To find out how the locals
remember their history, I'm excited to meet a person who
can truly speak for the people here: the Mokole, King of Matano. So this iron ore trade was
a friendly trade relationship? There's evidence the Majapahit
directly controlled Eastern Java, Bali, and Madura. But the Empire's might further afield may have been the product
of its trading wealth and standing that gave them unprecedented influence over these outer islands
known today as Indonesia. But by 1389,
the golden age of the Empire was about to be disrupted. For 40 years under the rule of
the great King Hayam Wuruk, the Majapahit Empire
exerted substantial influence over what's known today as Indonesia. But merchants from the Middle East, India and China brought
with them a new faith that spelt change. Built in 1421, Masjid Sunan Ampel
is East Java's oldest mosque. It's named after the Muslim saint
credited with spreading Islam here. Sunan Ampel was a Muslim foreigner from the state of Champa,
modern Vietnam, whose family was connected
by marriage to the Majapahit rulers. When he arrived in Java, he was
granted freedom to teach the Islamic faith. In the 15th century, Islam
was the religion of traders and it was tolerated by the Majapahit. As the faith spread, it weakened
the authority of its rulers who were seen as gods
in the Hindu-Buddhist tradition. But the end of their reign was brought
about by something closer to home. Legend has it that when the Majapahit
attacked another Indonesian empire, the Srivijaya, around 1398, the Srivijayan king was driven
from his outpost in Singapura and fled north to Melaka. There he converted to Islam
and traded with Muslim merchants from the Middle East,
India and China, establishing a new trading hub to rival the Majapahit. Internal power struggles
weakened the Empire further until a people's revolution
drove them east to Bali. But the last Majapahit king
is said to have fled west to Mount Lawu and took refuge
in a Hindu temple. Five hundred years have passed
since the fall of the Majapahit Empire. But Candi Cetho still draws
visitors from all over Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim nation. Today is Kuningan, a day to honour
one's ancestors in the Balinese calendar. I'm excited to join Pak Jiro,
a Hindu priest, in a ritual from the Majapahit times. The offerings are for a final farewell
to ancestors as they return to heaven. These are just the first few steps,
many more to go. It's a symbolic climb to sacred heights. Near the top, we head to the
oldest part of the complex. We have flowers, we have fruit, we have incense, perfume, and wonderful cooked food. It's a multi-sensory offering. It's so beautiful. It starts with just the chime
and just one tone. It really hits somewhere very deep. This wonderful offering recalls
all the beautiful things that make family. And it's a very special universal feeling. I can't help but think
about my late parents. I apologise. I'm a big crybaby. It's all about respect and paying
back the love of your ancestors. And at the end of the day,
we are all connected, so I'm a part of this as well. The Majapahit tolerated differences among its close neighbours
and distant visitors alike. That foundation,
however, is being tested by rising fundamentalism
and separatism today. But in a neighbourhood in East Java, people are coming together
in spite of their differences. I am outside Surabaya
and this is just amazing! There is a mosque, a Buddhist temple, Catholic church, there's a Confucian temple coming up, a Hindu temple, and right at the end,
a Protestant church. I am here to meet its leaders
and find out what it's all about. Six religious sites built side
by side is a first for Indonesia. The local leaders meet regularly to discuss the problems
faced by the community. It's a legacy of the Majapahit and I want to see how
it's shaping Indonesia's present. My father is Catholic,
my mother is Buddhist, so I have grown up in this
multicultural environment. What is everyone's opinion about the state
of religious tolerance in Indonesia today? In a climate fraught with intolerance, this is a symbol of hope. These are all religions of communities
that played a part in shaping Indonesia. In a multicultural setting like this, the only really viable option has been
to find ways to live alongside each other, both then and now. But how are the nation's youth
inspired by this aspiration of togetherness? Oh my god, I'm a street artist.
I love this. I don't want to destroy this.
I'm going slow. Xgo and his crew are street artists who regularly take part in mural activism. Go too near, it gets too thick. So you have to keep a certain distance,
otherwise, it starts to drip. I think I've done it.
Is this all right? I finally see the mural taking form. It's a mixture of different
colours and shapes that all come together
in a handshake. I love how your work is
very strong and powerful. I love it. The Majapahit Empire fell in 1520
after two centuries in power, which was followed by
over 300 years of colonial rule before Indonesia finally gained
independence in 1945. But as the nation faces
new challenges today, the legacy of the Majapahit offers
some important historical lessons. The Majapahit Empire found itself at the
crossroads of the highly lucrative spice trail. And its openness and shrewdness allowed it to attain unprecedented
wealth and cultural refinement. The idea of being stronger
together rather than separate is a legacy that has shaped
the modern Indonesian nation and continues to inspire a path
for the pluralistic society here today. I've travelled through Indonesia
searching for traces of the Majapahit, an Empire that rose
to unprecedented powers, thanks to its relationship with
nearby islands and peoples. It's a reminder that 500 years on, the challenges of the modern nation
hark back to age-old questions that have shaped what
it is to be Indonesian since its earliest days.
