Kedu Plain

When Britain took briefly control of the region in 1811, Magelang became the seat of government. After the Napoleonic wars ended, the English turned Java back over to the Dutch in 1816^[1] and Magelang continued to play a central role in the Dutch East Indies.

There is a small hill near Magelang called Mount Tidar that is referred to as the Nail of Java.^[2] According to Javanese legend, the gods placed the nail to prevent the island of Java from sinking into the sea from tremors.

Archaeological sites

The Kedu Plain hosts a large number of Hindu and Buddhist temples dated, from the 8th to the 9th century. Because of this, the Kedu Plain is considered the cradle of classic Indonesian civilization. The temples in the region include:^{[3]: 89–90}

• Sailendras
  .
• Avalokiteshvara, and Vajrapani
  .
• Pawon: The small 8th-century Buddhist temple near the bank of Progo River is located between Mendut and Borobudur.
• Ngawen: The 8th-century Buddhist temple is located about 5 kilometers east of Mendut temple.
• Banon: The ruins of a Hindu temple; located several hundred meters north of Pawon temple. However, no significant remains of the temple have survived, thus, its reconstruction is impossible. Only the statues of Shiva, Vishnu, Agastya, and Ganesha have been discovered, which are now displayed at the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.
• Sri Sanjaya, the king of Mataram Kingdom
  was discovered.
• Gunung Sari: The ruins of a Hindu temple on top of a hill, located near Candi Gunung Wukir, on the outskirts of Muntilan.
• Umbul: in Grabag, Magelang; it served as a bathing and resting place for the kings of Mataram.