The Galuh Kingdom was an ancient

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

kingdom located in the eastern part of ''Tatar Pasundan'' (now

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

province and Banyumasan region of

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

province), present-day

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It was established following the end of the

Tarumanagara Tarumanagara or Taruma Kingdom or just Taruma is an early Sundanese Indianised kingdom, located in western Java, whose 5th-century ruler, Purnawarman, produced the earliest known inscriptions in Java, which are estimated to date from arou ...

kingdom around the 7th century. Traditionally the kingdom was associated with Eastern

Priangan Parahyangan ( su, ᮕᮛᮠᮡᮀᮠᮔ᮪; Bantenese: Priangan; Dutch: Preanger) 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 heartla ...

cultural region, around the

Citanduy Ci Tanduy ( Sundanese "''Ci''" means "river", so the whole name means "Tanduy River"; id, Sungai Citanduy) is a river in the island of Java, Indonesia, about 270 km to the southeast of the capital Jakarta.

and Cimanuk rivers, with territory spanned from Citarum river on the west, Pamali and Serayu river on the east. Its capital was first located in Karangkamulyan,

Ciamis Regency Ciamis Regency (Indonesian: ''Kabupaten Ciamis'', Sundanese: ) is a landlocked regency in West Java, Indonesia, and shares a provincial border with Central Java. Its seat is the town of Ciamis, also the primary urban center. Formerly, the regen ...

, then Saunggalah,

Kuningan Kuningan ( su, ᮊᮥᮔᮤᮍᮔ᮪) is a town and district located in eastern West Java, Indonesia, between Cirebon Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of ...

, and Kawali, near today

Ciamis Ciamis ( su, ᮎᮤᮃᮙᮤᮞ᮪) is a town and district which serves as the regency seat of Ciamis Regency in West Java, Indonesia. Government GOVERNMENT Since regional autonomy was implemented in 2001, Ciamis Regency has experienced regional ...

City. The etymology of ''"galuh"'' is Old Sundanese and Kawi word for "

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

History

Most of the knowledge about this kingdom was collected from local

myth and folktales, transmitted through

Pantun Sunda Pantun Sunda is a type of Sundanese oral narrative performance interspersed with songs and music played on a ''kacapi'', a kind of zither. A pantun is intended to be recited during an evening-length performance during which a single performer relat ...

oral tradition. The Sundanese epic folktale of Ciung Wanara took place in this kingdom. Scarce historical records include

Carita Parahyangan Carita Parahyangan ( en, Tale of Parahyangan, official Sundanese script: ) is a text contained in a single manuscript written around the late 16th century, registered as Kropak 406 from the former collection of the Bataviaasch Genootschap voor Kuns ...

and Wangsakerta manuscripts composed in later period. The only stone inscription was 14th century

Astana Gede inscription The Astana Gede inscriptions, also known as Kawali inscriptions, refers to six inscriptions discovered in Kabuyutan Kawali area, Ciamis Regency, West Java; the main inscription (Kawali I) bears the longest scripts. All of the inscriptions were writ ...

discovered in Kawali, believed to be the former capital of Galuh. From all these sources, it was concluded that Galuh was a Hindu kingdom, the predecessor of later Sunda

Pajajaran Pakuan Pajajaran (or ᮕᮊᮥᮝᮔ᮪ᮕᮏᮏᮛᮔ᮪/ Dayeuh Pakuan/Pakwan or Pajajaran) was the fortified capital city of Sunda Kingdom. The location is roughly corresponds to modern Bogor city in West Java, Indonesia, approximately around t ...

kingdom. It was about the same period as Javanese

Mataram kingdom The Mataram Kingdom (, jv, ꦩꦠꦫꦩ꧀, ) was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu–Buddhism, Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established b ...

. According to the Wangsakerta manuscript, Galuh was a vassal of

. After the fall of Tarumanagara, its dynastic patriarch, Wretikandayun of Galuh, separated his realm from Sunda kingdom in the west. Since the crown prince of Galuh was the son-in-law of Queen Shima of

Kalingga Kalingga ( jv, Karajan Kalingga; 訶陵 ''Hēlíng'' or 闍婆 ''She-pó / She-bó'' in Chinese sources) was a 6th-century Indianized kingdom on the north coast of Central Java, Indonesia. It was the earliest Hindu-Buddhist kingdom in Centra ...

, a Hindu kingdom in Central Java, Wretikandayun, supported by Kalingga, demanded that the remnant of what was known as Tarumanagara's territory be divided into two kingdoms. Finding himself in an unfortunate position and unwilling to risk a civil war, King Tarusbawa of Sunda granted Wretikandayun's demand. In 670, Tarumanagara was divided into two kingdoms: the Sunda Kingdom in the west, and the Galuh Kingdom in the east, separated by the Tarum (Citarum) River. Galuh continued to exist as individual kingdom as the counterpart of Sunda until it was absorbed and incorporated within Sunda kingdom around the 10th century. Galuh and the

Sunda kingdom The Sunda Kingdom ( su, , Karajaan Sunda, ) was a Sundanese Hindu kingdom located in the western portion of the island of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering the area of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Centra ...

, another

kingdom, established the United Kingdom of Sunda and Galuh. Its centre in Kawali become the court capital until the 15th century when

Sri Baduga Maharaja Sri Baduga Maharaja ( Sundanese: ) or Sang Ratu Jayadewata (born 1401) was the great king of the Hindu Sunda kingdom in West Java, reigned 1482 to 1521 from his capital in Pakuan Pajajaran. He brought his kingdom greatness and prosperity. King Jay ...

shifted the capital to

Pakuan Pajajaran Pakuan Pajajaran (or ᮕᮊᮥᮝᮔ᮪ᮕᮏᮏᮛᮔ᮪/ Dayeuh Pakuan/Pakwan or Pajajaran) was the fortified capital city of Sunda Kingdom. The location is roughly corresponds to modern Bogor city in West Java, Indonesia, approximately around ...

. In later period, during the expansion of

Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th centu ...

, the ''menak'' (nobles) of Eastern Priangan region (

Tasikmalaya en, Neaty City , nickname = nl, Delhi Van Java en, Delhi of Java , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top: Great Mosque of Tasi ...

Garut Garut is a district and town in West Java of Indonesia, and the former capital of Garut Regency. It is located about 75 km to the southeast of the major city of Bandung. History The modern history of Garut started on March 2, 1811 when Balub ...

and

Majalengka Majalengka ( su, ᮙᮏᮜᮦᮀᮊ) is a town and district in West Java, Indonesia. The district is the regency seat of Majalengka Regency. At the 2010 Census, the district had a population of 68,871, of which the town (comprising the communities ...

), claimed to hold the legacy and prestige of this ancient kingdom.

Cultural Heritage

Cangkuang Cangkuang ( id, Candi Cangkuang) is a small 8th-century Shivaist '' candi'' (Hindu temple) located in Kampung Pulo village, Cangkuang, Kecamatan Leles, Garut Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The temple is one of very few Hindu-Buddhist temples disc ...

temple located in Leles,

Garut Regency Garut Regency is a Regency (Indonesia), Regency in the West Java province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 3,065.19 km2 (1,186.91 mi2). Geographically, it lies between 6°57′34″ – 7°44′57″ South latitude a ...

is estimated to have been built during Galuh kingdom era. It is the only reconstructed Hindu temple in

List of monarchs

References

Precolonial states of Indonesia 669 establishments History of West Java {{Indonesia-stub

History

Cultural Heritage

List of monarchs

See also

References