Adityawarman was born around in 1294 in Trowulan, East Java, the capital of the kingdom of Majapahit, as recorded in the poem of Pararaton.[2] According to Kuburajo inscription found in Limo Kaum, West Sumatra, Adityawarman's father was Majapahit nobleman Adwayawarman;[3] and according to the 15th East Javanese text Pararaton his mother was Dara Jingga, a Malay princess of Dharmasraya.[4] He might have visited China for a diplomatic expedition in 1325 if, as some historians believe, he is the envoy whom a Chinese source calls Sengk'ia-lie-yu-lan.[5]
According to George Coedes, "His name appears in Java as early as 1343 on an image of Bodhisattva Manjusri that was originally located in Candi Jago."[6]: 232 This is the sanctuary built by Kertanegara for his father Visnuvardhana.[7] In one of the various inscriptions about him, he explicitly calls himself Lord of the Golden Earth (Kanakamedinindra). An inscription in localised Malay Sanskrit found on the back of the Amoghapasa statue found at Rambahan, West Sumatra, dated 1347, written (and perhaps composed) by Adityawarman, commemorates his role as protector and source of welfare to the people of the capital of Malaya (Malayapura) and his power as an embodiment of Amoghapasa.[8] "At Malayapura, Adityawarman bore the royal title of Udayadityavarman (or Adityavarmodaya) Pratapaparakrama Rājendra Maulimalivarmadewa, a title which one scholar believes he can detect an attempt at synthesis of the royal title traditionally in use in Srivijaya and Malayu."[6]: 232 His kingdom is believed to be the predecessor of the present-day Minangkabau matrilineal society in Indonesia.
Adityawarman's inscriptions as a Sumatran ruler, show that he was a devotee of Tantric Buddhism. He ruled until at least 1375, the year of his last known inscription.[6]: 242–243 He was described as the Lord of Suravasa;[9] and the name Suruaso itself is still used to refer to the area near Pagaruyung, Kingdom of the Minangkabau people.
His son was Ananggawarman.[6]: 243