Kalapa – Jacatra –Batavia - Jakarta: An old city that never gets old

Abstract

The archaeology of Jakarta is a multi-layered artefact compounded with thin period separations. In the geographical sphere of the “greater Jakarta area”, its roots start from the Neolithic with the discovery of Buni tradition pottery. The Buni area stretched along the north coast of west Java towards the interior to the south. This geographical sphere then became the oldest kingdom in the archipelago, Tarumanagara, an Indian-influenced Hindu Kingdom. A series of different ancient kingdoms ruled until the arrival of the Europeans. First, the Portuguese signed a treaty with Sunda (a Hindu Kingdom and ruler of the port of Kalapa) to defend their territory from Cirebon (an Islamic Kingdom in the eastern part of west java). Kalapa became a prized area that was fought over until the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC), led by J. P. Coen, burnt it down and built Batavia. Kalapa, as one of the few main ports of Sunda, historically welcomed people (with or without their will) from different areas. The influx of multicultural influence through this port continued when Batavia became the capital of the VOC, and then for the Netherlands Indies. The area grew into what is now known as the greater area of Jakarta. Although this greater area is now delineated into three different provinces, the cultural span of the area is still the same. A version of this paper was delivered as part of SEAMEO SPAFA’s Capital’s Archaeology Lecture Series on 23 May 2017 at the Siam Society, Bangkok. This paper has been peer reviewed. The lecture can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2imigGG

Jakarta: A city of cities

“…Due to its strategic location, Sunda Kelapa rapidly became a coveted possession of the surrounding Muslim kingdoms of Demak and Cirebon. After Sunda Kelapa fell to Fatahillah, the leader of the Islamic forces, the port's name was changed to Jayakarta, and a short-lived period of glory graced the city ( Gultom, 2017 ). The increasing pressure exerted by the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) would eventually undermine the relationship between the Kingdom of Banten and the English East India Company, leaving the path clear for the Dutch to appropriate and totally control the port.…”

History of Jakarta's Chinatown: The Role of the City Gate as a Transition Area and a Starting Point in the Spatial Transformation from the First Chinatown to the Renewal Phase | Sejarah Pecinan Jakarta: Peran Pintu Gerbang Kota Sebagai Area Transisi dan Titik Awal dalam Transformasi Spasial Pecinan Pertama ke Fase Pembaharuan

“…In 1619 the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) attempted to destroy Jayakarta and build a new city called Batavia which became the beginning of the Chinese people's ties to the city. The success of the VOC in seizing Jayakarta, led by Jan Pieterszoon Coen, resulted in the Dutch having a representative office on the island of Java (Abeyasekere 1987;Heuken 1982;Gultom 2018). Batavia which was previously a part of Banten was expected by Coen, who later became the Governor-General, to be a city to grow European society in Asia.…”

“…The Batavia configuration was designed to resemble cities in the Netherlands. The city plan adopted Simon Stevin's design in the form of a square with road sections and canals (Kehoe 2015;Gultom 2018). The first action taken in building Batavia were geographic intervention, including digging canals, clearing forests, elevating, and filling land surfaces to build settlements.…”

“…Batavia was the initial name for Jakarta which was given by the Dutch when they built the city. This name was used until the conquest by the Japanese in 1942 which later changed the name of the city to Jakarta (Gultom 2018). This restored the original name of the city which was originally called Jayakarta or what is often referred to by Westerners as Jacatra.…”

Sundanese Indigenous Knowledge in Sindang Barang Cultural Village – Bogor

“…We chose Sindang Barang Cultural Village because it is located in Bogor. Bogor's relationship with Sundanese culture is explained by Gultom (2018) that the name Sunda is listed on the Kebon Kopi II Inscription found in Bogor. Pusparini et al (2017) said, since the 17th century Bogor has been the center of civilization of the Padjadjaran Kingdom.…”