Malang

Malang lies in a highland basin of eastern Java, surrounded by volcanic mountains. The fertile valley was the heart of Tumapel, later known as Singhasari, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom whose rulers left temples and sculpture across the region. Its history is closely bound to the rise of the Rajasa dynasty, which also supplied the royal house of Majapahit.

Javanese tradition tells how Ken Arok rose to power in Tumapel and defeated Kediri in 1222, founding the kingdom of Singhasari. Its last ruler, Kertanegara, was killed in a rebellion in 1292, shortly before the arrival of a Sino-Mongol expedition. His son-in-law Raden Wijaya founded a new court at Majapahit. The old Tumapel country remained part of the political and sacred landscape of eastern Java, with monuments recalling the kings who had ruled from its mountain basin.