page_title: Banten
section_title: Pre-colonial era
hierarchical_section_title: Banten / History / Pre-colonial era
caption_attribution_description: English: Maulana Hasanuddin was the first sultan of the Sultanate of Banten. Together with his father, Sunan Gunungjati, Hasanuddin founded the Sultanate of Banten on the western tip of Java Island. Bahasa Indonesia: Maulana Hasanuddin adalah seorang sultan pertama Kesultanan Banten. Bersama ayahnya, Sunan Gunung Jati, Hasanuddin mendirikan Kesultanan Banten di ujung barat Pulau Jawa.
context_page_description: Banten is the westernmost province on the island of Java, in Indonesia. Its provincial capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta to the east, the Java Sea to the north, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Sunda Strait to the west, which separates Java from the neighbouring island of Sumatra. The population of Banten was officially estimated at 13,160,496 in the middle of 2020, up from over 10.6 million during the 2010 census. Formerly part of the province of West Java, Banten became a separate province in 2000. The province is a transit corridor to the neighbouring Indonesian island of Sumatra. Historically, it has had a culture distinct from the rest of Java and that of the broader Indonesian archipelago. In recent years, the northern half, particularly those areas near Jakarta and the Java Sea coast, have experienced rapid rises in population and urbanization, while the southern half, particularly that facing the Indian Ocean, maintains more of its traditional character.
  Centuries ago, the area in what-is-now Banten is ruled by the Sundanese Tarumanagara kingdom.
context_section_description: In the 5th century, Banten was part of the Kingdom of Tarumanagara. The Lebak relic inscriptions, found in lowland villages on the edge of the Cidanghiyang River in Munjul, Pandeglang were discovered in 1947 and contains two lines of poetry with Pallawa script and Sanskrit language. The inscriptions which tells the life in the Tarumanegara kingdom under the reign of Purnawarman. After the collapse of the Tarumanagara kingdom, due to an attack by Srivijaya, power in western Java fell to the Kingdom of Sunda. The Chinese source, Chu-fan-chi, written circa 1225, Chou Ju-kua mentioned that in the early 13th century, Srivijaya still ruled Sumatra, the Malay peninsula, and western Java (Sunda). The source identifies the port of Sunda as strategic and thriving, pepper from Sunda being among the best in quality. The people worked in agriculture and their houses were built on wooden poles (rumah panggung). However, robbers and thieves plagued the country. It was highly possible that the port of Sunda mentioned by Chou Ju-kua was probably refer to the port of Banten.
  According to the Portuguese explorer, Tome Pires, in the early 16th century the port of Bantam (Banten) was an important port within the Kingdom of Sunda along with the ports of Pontang, Cheguide (Cigede), Tangaram (Tangerang), Calapa (Sunda Kelapa) and Chimanuk (estuarine of the Cimanuk river).
  In 1527, just as the Portuguese fleet was arriving off the coast, newly converted Javanese Muslims under Sunan Gunungjati captured the port of Banten and the surrounding area from the Sundanese leaders and established the Sultanate of Banten.  The center of this sultanate, according to the Portuguese historian João de Barros, was Banten which was a major port in Southeast Asia rivaling Malacca and Makassar. The city of Banten was located in middle of the bay which is around three miles across. The city was 850 fathoms in length while the seaside town was 400 fathoms in length. Through the middle of town there was a clear river which ships and gale junks could sail into. There is a small tributary of the river extending to the edges of the town.  Today, the river is not so large and only small boats can enter. There was a fortress very near to the town whose walls were made of brick and was seven palms wide. There were wooden defense buildings consisting of two levels and armed with good weapons. The middle of the town square was used for military activities and folk art, and as a market in the morning. The king's palace was located on the southern side of the square. Beside the building was an elevated and flat-roofed, called Srimanganti, which was used by the king when meeting the people. To the west of the square was a great mosque, which is now known as the Great Mosque of Banten.
  In the early 17th century, Banten was an important commercial center on international trade routes in Asia. At the time, the administration and governance of port were very supportive of economic growth. Its territory included the area which is now the province of Lampung in southern Sumatra.
caption: Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin of Banten. Together with his father, Sunan Gunungjati, Hasanuddin founded the Sultanate of Banten
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