History of Central Java

History

Since the 7th century, there was a lot of Kingdom, which emerged in Central Java. Kalingga Buddha Kingdom of Jepara, ruled by Queen Shima emerged in 674. The colonization by the Dutch lasted for about 350 years March 9, 1942. The Japanese occupation forces landed in Indonesia for 3,5 years. The August 17th, 1945 the Indonesian people proclaimed their independence to the world. Nowadays, Central Java territory is administratively a province, which was established under the law No. 10/1950.

History oozes from every corner of Central Java, an area rich in a culture and tradition cumulated from a powerful Hindu and Buddhist past and more recent Islamic influences. Under the Sailendra and old Mataram kings, the Hindu Javanese culture flourished between the 8th and 10th centuries. It was during this pinnacle of power that Java's most remarkable religious monuments were built; Borobudur, the biggest and most magnificent monument to Mahayana Buddhism in the world; the enormous Hindu temple complex of Prambanan, dedicated to Shiva and built by the rulers of the Sanjaya Dynasty, and the ancient site of the oldest Hindu temples in Java on the magnificent, heights of the Dieng Plateau. All of these and more are testimony to the ancient power and influence of the region. The first Islamic kingdom in Java saw its beginnings in 1511 in Demak, not far from the capital, Semarang. Here one can find one of the province's greatest Islamic structures, the Grand Mosque of Demak, which has said to be built in a single night by one of the nine early leaders of Islam in Java. Symbolic of the way the new faith was introduced, the mosque displays a curious combination of Islamic and Hindu architectural influences and is still revered and worshipped in by Javanese pilgrims who regularly visit the area.

Surakarta, better known as Solo, is the cradle of Javanese culture in the province. The courts of Solo illustrate the noble value that the Javanese attach to grace and refinement, with majestic ceremonies and royal festivals still held with great pomp and circumstance. Although no longer the seats of power they once were, the courts of Solo are still regarded as the bearers of values, which the Javanese have treasured for generations. Descendants of the royal houses are regarded as leaders of Javanese culture and traditions, which uphold standards of sophistication and bearing.

Two major seaports are also to be noted, providing national and international outlets for the province's agricultural and industrial products; Tanjung Emas on the northern coast on the Java Sea, and Cilacap, a natural ocean port in the Indian Ocean, in the southern part of the province.