History of The Kandis Empire, Its Heyday to Fall

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INDEPHEDIA.com - The Kingdom of Kandis is one of the oldest kingdoms in Indonesia which is estimated to have existed since 1 BC.

This historical kingdom of the Malays and Minang people is located in Koto Alang, part of the Lubuk Jambi region, Kuantan Singingi Regency, Riau Province.

The territory of his kingdom was in the center-west of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, which is now part of the eastern region of the provinces of West Sumatra, Riau and Jambi.

In Nagarakretagama, an ancient Javanese literary work written by Prapanca, the name Kandis was found, which was one of the conquered areas of the Majapahit Empire on the island of Sumatra.

History Establishment of The Kandis Kingdom

There is a story in a history that the founder of the Kendis Kingdom was a descendant of Alexander the Great from Macedonia.

The history tells that one of the descendants of Alexander the Great named Maharaja Diraja went wandering to the island of Sumatra.

On this Golden Island, the Maharaja Diraja built a palace on the Bakau Hills, which was later named the Dhamna Palace.

The existence of this palace also indicated that the Maharaja Diraja established a political power in the form of a kingdom in the region.

Maharaja Diraja had a son named Darmaswara whose title was Mangkuto Maharaja Diraja and another title Datuk Rajo Tunggal.

Datuk Rajo Tunggal married a woman named Bunda Pertiwi. After Maharaja Diraja died, Datuk Rajo Tunggal became king in the Kandis Kingdom.

The Healing and Fall of The Kandis Empire

The Kandis Kingdom experienced its peak of glory during the reign of Datuk Rajo Tunggal who was said to have ruled fairly and wisely.

Forest products, such as resin, rattan and swallow's nest as well as agricultural products, such as gold and silver, became the backbone of the economy of the population and this kingdom.

The Kandis kingdom collapsed due to a power struggle by the king's subordinates who wanted to rule.

People who felt capable and influential then moved from Bukit Bakar to other places and established new kingdoms.

The new kingdoms included the White Mouse Kingdom in Bukit Selasih and the Koto Alang Kingdom in Botung.

Then, the Kingdom of Puti Pinang Masak or Pinang Merah was founded in the Pantai area (Lubuk Ramo), the Kingdom of Dang Tuanku in Singingi and the Kingdom of Imbang Jayo in Koto Baru.

The establishment of these new kingdoms caused problems and struggles for territory which resulted in wars between kingdoms.

This division into wars between kingdoms caused the Kandis Kingdom, which had previously been established, to decline until it finally collapsed. (*)