Nusantara (archipelago)
Nusantara is the Indonesian name of Maritime Southeast Asia (or parts of it). It is an Old Javanese term which literally means "outer islands". In Indonesia, it is generally taken to mean the Indonesian Archipelago. In the Malay world, the term has been adopted to mean the Malay Archipelago. The word Nusantara is taken from an oath by Gajah Mada in 1336, as written in the Old Javanese "Pararaton" and "Nagarakretagama". Gajah Mada was a powerful military leader and prime minister of Majapahit credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. Gajah Mada delivered an oath  called "Palapa oath", in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of Nusantara under the glory of Majapahit. The concept of Nusantara as a unified region was not invented by Gajah Mada in 1336. The term Nusantara was first used by Kertanegara of Singhasari in Mula Malurung inscription dated 1255. Furthermore, in 1275, the term "Cakravala Mandala Dvipantara" was used by him to describe the aspiration of united Southeast Asian archipelago under Singhasari and marked the beginning of his efforts to achieve it. Dvipantara is a Sanskrit word for the "islands in  between", making it a synonym to Nusantara as both "dvipa" and "nusa" mean "island". Kertanegara envisioned the union of Southeast Asian maritime kingdoms and polities under Singhasari as a bulwark against the rise of the expansionist Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. In a wider sense, Nusantara in modern language usage includes Austronesian-related cultural and linguistic lands, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and Taiwan, while excluding Papua New Guinea. Ancient concepts. Etymology. "Nusantara" is an Old Javanese word which appears in the "Pararaton" manuscript. In Javanese, "Nusantara" is derived and "antara", 'between'. It  means "outer islands" or "other islands" (in the sense of "islands beyond Java in between the Indian and Pacific Oceans"), referring to the islands outside of Java under hegemony of the Majapahit Empire. The term is commonly erroneously translated as "archipelago" in modern times. Based on the Majapahit concept of state, the monarch had power over three areas: Nusantara concept in the 20th century. In 1920, Ernest Francois Eugene Douwes Dekker (1879–1950), also known as Setiabudi, proposed "Nusantara" as a name for the independent country of Indonesia which did not contain any words etymologically related to the name of India  or the Indies. This is the first instance of the term "Nusantara" appearing after it had been written into Pararaton manuscript. The definition of Nusantara introduced by Setiabudi is different from the 14th century definition of the term. During the Majapahit era, Nusantara described vassal areas that had been conquered. Setiabudi defined Nusantara as all the Indonesian regions from Sabang to Merauke, without the aggressive connotations of its former imperial usage. Modern usage. Indonesia. Today in Indonesian, Nusantara is synonymous with the Indonesian archipelago or the national territory of Indonesia. In this sense, the term Nusantara excludes Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei , East Timor, and the Philippines. In 1967, it has transformed into the concept of "Wawasan Nusantara" or "archipelagic outlook", which regards the archipelagic realm of Indonesia, the islands and seas surrounding them, as a single unity of several aspects, mainly socio-cultural, language, as well as political, economic, security and defensive unity. Nusantara is also proposed by President of Indonesia Joko Widodo to be used as the name of the new future capital of Indonesia. Outside Indonesia. In Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore the term is generally used to refer to the Malay archipelago or the Malay realm () which includes those  countries. In a more scholarly manner without national borders, Nusantara in a modern language usage "refers to the sphere of influence of the Austronesian-related cultural and linguistic islands that comprise Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southernmost part of Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and perhaps even Taiwan, but it does not involve the areas of Papua New Guinea." Nusantara studies. The Nusantara Society in Moscow conducts studies on the Nusantara region's history, culture, languages and politics.