Hadi Sidomulyo

Hadi Sidomulyo is an independent writer and historian, focusing on the Javanese history of the pre-colonial period. His time spent as a consultant to the Indonesian Department of Culture and Tourism, first in Yogyakarta (1986–89), and later in Surabaya (1989–94), stimulated a special interest in the study of historical topography. Between 1998 and 2001 he conducted a ground survey of the route followed by the fourteenth-century king Rājasanagara of Majapahit through eastern Java, as recorded in Prapañca’s Deśawarṇana. The results were later published under the title Napak Tilas Perjalanan Mpu Prapañca (2007). Since then he has written a series of articles dealing with problematic aspects of Javanese history, among them “From Kuṭa Rāja to Singhasāri: towards a revision of the dynastic history of 13th century Java” (2010), “Kṛtanagara and the resurrection of Mpu Bharāda” (2011), “Gravestones and candi stones: Reflections on the grave complex of Troloyo” (2014), and “Notes on the topography of ancient Java” (2018). He is presently engaged in an intensive exploration of the archaeological remains on Mt Penanggungan, East Java.