The Laksamana (Jawi: لقسامان) is a position within the armed forces, similar to the position of admiral in Malay sultanates and in present-day countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Since South East Asia was part of Indosphere of Greater India since earlier, during and after the Hinduised Srivijaya empire, Hindu titles based on Sanskrit were used. The word Laksamana originated from Lakshmana, a figure in the Hindu epic of Ramayana.
Malacca Sultanate[]
The Laksamana in the Malacca Sultanate was in charge for the sea security of the Sultanate, and most importantly, the China-India trade route within the Straits of Malacca. That trade route was the lifeline of the Empire. He was in full command of the Malaccan fleet, outranked only by the Bendahara and the Sultan.[1][2]
Malacca's most famous Laksamana is Hang Tuah.[2]
Modern-day usage[]
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In modern times, the word refers to a rank in Brunei (by the Royal Brunei Navy[3]), in Indonesia (by the Indonesian Navy[4] and Indonesian Maritime Security Agency[5]) and in Malaysia (by the Royal Malaysian Navy[6] and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency[7]).
The common grades for "Laksamana" title are:
- Laksamana armada (lit. Fleet admiral, a five-star rank used by Royal Malaysian Navy)
- Laksamana besar (lit. Grand admiral, a five-star rank used by Indonesian Navy)
- Laksamana (lit. Admiral, a four-star rank)
- Laksamana madya (lit. Middle admiral, "Vice Admiral", a three-star rank)
- Laksamana muda (lit. Young/junior admiral, "Rear Admiral", a two-star rank)
- Laksamana pertama (lit. First admiral, a one-star rank, Rear Admiral or Commodore)
| Rank | Laksamana armada or Laksamana besar |
Laksamana | Laksamana madya | Laksamana muda | Laksamana pertama |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral of the Fleet | Admiral | Vice Admiral | Rear admiral | Commodore | |
 Brunei Navy[8]
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 Indonesia Navy[4][9]
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 Indonesian Maritime Security Agency[5]
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 Malaysia Navy[6][10]
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 Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency[7]
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Surname[]
Laksamana, along with its Hispanicized forms Lacsamana and Laxamana, is a family name among the Pampangan people[citation needed] of the Philippines and their descendants.
See also[]
- Bendahara
- Penghulu Bendahari
- Syahbandar
- Temenggung
Reference[]
- ↑ Miksic, John N. (2009). Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery. Editions Didier Millet. p. 81. ISBN 9789814260138. https://books.google.com/books?id=XGme93dnK5oC&pg=PT81.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Sri Bija Diraja is Entrusted Overlordship of Singapura". HistorySG. 2014. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/51b9588d-b598-40ce-84e3-a917f3c9a88c.
- ↑ "CN Remarks" (in ms). https://navy.mindef.gov.bn/Site%20Pages/CN%20Remarks.aspx.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 39 Tahun 2010 Tentang Administrasi Prajurit Tentara Nasional Indonesia, 2010
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Akbar, Norvan (31 January 2019). "Hilangkan Ego Sektoral, Bakamla Terapkan Sistem Kepangkatan dan Seragam Baru". JPP. https://today.line.me/id/pc/article/Hilangkan+Ego+Sektoral+Bakamla+Terapkan+Sistem+Kepangkatan+dan+Seragam+Baru-kGyaqJ.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Pangkat Pegawai dan Laksamana". Malaysian Navy. http://www.navy.mil.my/index.php/component/k2/item/5043-pangkat-pegawai.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Pangkat Maritim". Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency. https://www.mmea.gov.my/index.php/en/orang-awam-latest/62-pangkat-maritim.
- ↑ "Pangkat Harian" (in id). Indonesian National Armed Forces. https://www.tni.mil.id/pages-39-pangkat-harian.html.
- ↑ "Pangkat" (in ms). Malaysian Armed Forces. http://www.mafhq.mil.my/index.php/my/mengenai-kami/kerjaya/pangkat.
The original article can be found at Laksamana and the edit history here.