During the early centuries of the Christian era, cultural influences from India became predominant. Indian merchants in the spice trade brought elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, Indian literature and legal codes, and the Sanskrit language and Indian scripts (especially from southern India). These spread first to the Javanese aristocracy and later to other segments of the population. The syncretism of the new Hindu-Buddhist-Javanese culture is most evident in the 9th-century Buddhist monument of Borobudur in central Java. It was built by the Sailendras ("Lords of the Mountains"), who came to power in central and parts of western Java in the 8th century. In the 9th century Sailendra princes were the rulers of the Sumatran Empire of Sri Vijaya, through matrimonial alliances between the two power centers. The most interesting figure of the 11th century was Airlangga, who has become a legendary hero in Hindu-Javanese history. After Airlangga's death the kingdom was split, and the western portion, Kediri, became dominant and ruled until 1222. Its successor was the kingdom of Singosari, which lasted until about 1292. Kublai Khan's Mongols raided the island in 1293, but without any significant success. The last great Hindu-Javanese kingdom was that of Majapahit, which existed during the 14th century. The founding minister of the kingdom, Gajah Mada, is one of the great figures in Indonesian history. The empire established by Gajah Mada is believed by some historians to have encompassed the whole of present day Indonesia.