Parahyangan
Parahyangan (Preanger) or Priangan is a cultural and mountainous region in West Java province on the Indonesian island of Java. Covering a little less than one-sixth of Java, it is the heartland of Sundanese people and their culture.[1] It is bordered to the West by Banten province, to the North by the northern coast region of Subang, Cirebon, and Indramayu (former residencies of Batavia and Cheribon), to the east by Central Java province (former residencies of Banyumas and Pekalongan), and to the south by the Indian Ocean.[2]
Etymology
The name "Parahyangan" has its origins in Sundanese words that mean "the abode of hyangs (gods)". Parahyangan is a mountainous region, and ancient Indonesians believed that the gods resided on the mountaintops.
A Sundanese legend of Sangkuriang contains the memory of the prehistoric ancient lake in the Bandung basin highland, which suggests that the Sundanese had already inhabited the region since the Stone Age era. Another popular Sundanese proverb and legend mentioned about the creation of Parahyangan highlands is: "When the hyangs (gods) were smiling, the land of Parahyangan was created".
The train serving Jakarta and Bandung was called Kereta Api Parahyangan (lit. 'the Parahyangan train'). Since April 2010, it is merged with Argo Gede to become Argo Parahyangan.
Mapping of Sundanese Culture
The Sundanese cultural area in the western part of Java can be divided into several parts, which consist of:
- Banten Sundanese; contained the Sundanese cultural area in the west (Banten and also Lampung).
- Parahyangan Sundanese; contained the Sundanese culture in the central and southern highlands.
- Central Javan Sundanese; contained Sundanese culture in the east (e.g. Brebes, Cilacap), located within the province of Central Java.
- Northern Coast Sundanese (including Cirebon & Indramayu); contained Sundanese culture on the northern lowlands and coasts of western Java.
History
The region has been home to early humans since the prehistoric era (at least since 9,500 BCE).[3] There have been some prehistoric archaeological findings of early human settlements, in Pawon cave in the Padalarang karst area, West of Bandung, and around the old lake of Bandung.[4][5]
The ruins of the Bojongmenje temple were discovered in the Rancaekek area, Bandung Regency, east of Bandung. The temple is estimated to be dated from the early 7th century CE, around the same period — or even earlier than the Dieng temples of Central Java.[6]
The oldest written historical reference to the Parahyangan region dates back to circa 14th century, found in Cikapundung inscription, where the region was one of the settlements within the Kingdom of Pajajaran.[7] Parahyangan is a part of the former
After the fall of the Sunda Kingdom in the 16th century, Parahyangan was administered by the nobles and aristocrats of Cianjur, Sumedang, and Ciamis, centered in Sumedang Larang Kingdom. These princes claimed as the rightful heir and descendants of the Sunda kings lineage, King Siliwangi. Although the dominant power at that time was held by Banten and Cirebon Sultanates, the Sundanese aristocrats of Parahyangan highland enjoyed relatively internal freedom and autonomy.
In 1617,
The area was known as De Preanger during the Dutch colonial period. Its capital was initially located in Tjiandjoer (Cianjur) and later moved to
Geography
The area of Parahyangan Tengah (
, which are geographically within these regencies although administratively independent.- Bandung
- West Bandung (Bandung Barat)
- Subang (southern part)
- Garut (northern part)
- Purwakarta (southern part)
- Sumedang
Other than central Parahyangan, there is also an area known as Parahyangan Timur (Eastern Parahyangan). Together with the independent cities of Tasikmalaya and Banjar, which are geographically within these regencies although administratively independent, this area covers the regencies of:
- Garut (southern part)
- Ciamis
- Tasikmalaya
- Kuningan (southern part)
- Majalengka (southern part)
- Pangandaran
While in the west, the area known as Parahyangan Barat (Western Parahyangan) covers:
- Cianjur Regency
- Sukabumi Regency and City of Sukabumi
The Western Parahyangan area is occasionally mentioned as Bogor Raya (Greater Bogor) if grouped with Bogor Regency and the City of Bogor.
See also
- King Siliwangi
- Pajajaran
- Galuhand other kingdoms of Sunda
Further reading
- Frederik De Haan, 1910, Priangan: de Preanger-Regentschappen onder het Nederlandsch bestuur tot 1811, Batavia
- A. Sabana Harjasaputra, 2004, Bupati di Priangan : kedudukan dan peranannya pada abad ke-17 - abad ke-19, Bandung
- Pusat Studi Sunda, 2004. Priangan dan kajian lainnya mengenai budaya Sunda, Bandung
- Ajip Rosidi et al., 2000, Ensiklopedi Sunda, Jakarta
References
- ISBN 978-1-61163-846-2.
- ISBN 9781462902156.
- ^ Oris Riswan (1 March 2014). "Tulang jari di Goa Pawon berumur 9.500 tahun lebih". Sindo News (in Indonesian).
- ^ "An Extremely Brief Urban History of Bandung". Institute of Indonesian Architectural Historian. Retrieved 2006-08-20.
- ^ Brahmantyo, B.; Yulianto, E.; Sudjatmiko (2001). "On the geomorphological development of Pawon Cave, west of Bandung, and the evidence finding of prehistoric dwelling cave". JTM. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Candi Bojongmenje". Perpustakaan Nasional Indonesia (in Indonesian).
- ^ R.Teja Wulan (9 October 2010). "Prasasti Bertuliskan Huruf Sunda Kuno Ditemukan di Bandung". VOA Indonesia (in Indonesian).
- ISBN 9780522854770.