Old Batavian kampong played historical role

Old Batavian kampong played historical role

By Ida Indawati Khouw

This 44th article of a weekly series on protected buildings
and sites is about the roles of Jatinegara Kaum, one of the
oldest kampongs in Jakarta, and the tombs of two local figures.

JAKARTA (JP): Located in East Jakarta, the Jatinegara Kaum
area has a long history as a "refugee" settlement for inhabitants
of Jayakarta (an old name of Jakarta) following the Dutch
occupation since 1619.

The former inhabitants of the approximately 300-year-old
kampong played major roles in the early struggle of indigenous
people against the occupation of the United Dutch East-India
Company VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) in the old city
of Jayakarta (in the same location where the Dutch built the
walled city of Batavia, now the Kota area in West Jakarta)

At present, the only structures that can explain its roles in
the past are the two old graveyards beside the bus lane on Jl.
Jatinegara Kaum.

Local residents believe that the graves belong to two noted
people leaders at the time: Pangeran (prince) Achmad Jaketra and
Pangeran Sanghiyang (others called him Sanghyang).

The two princes lived during the time of the Islamic kingdom
of Banten in West Java, which ruled Jayakarta between 1526 and
1527.

The location of Jatinegara Kaum itself was relatively far from
Jayakarta.

At that time, Jatinegara was covered by a dense forest from
which it got its name (Jati means teak, negara means state or
land).

Available sources revealed that its name could also be
interpreted as "the real country" replacing Jayakarta, which was
burned down by the Dutch in an attempt to conquer the city.

Jayakarta (meaning victorious and prosperous) was the second
name given to the harbor city located close to Jakarta Bay after
it was conquered by a commander called Fatahillah from the West
Javanese Sultanate of Banten.

It was during the leadership of Prince Jayawikarta that many
inhabitants fled and sought refuge in the secluded area of
Jatinegara Kaum following the attack of Dutch troops under Jan
Pieterszoon Coen.

Many believed that about 5,000 followers of Jayawikarta, the
last indigenous leader of Jayakarta, retreated to the Jatinegara
Kaum area after the Dutch aggression.

Sources said that Prince Jayawikarta then named the isolated
site as his new place of residence and the center of operations
against the Dutch troops.

But others said that Jayawikarta troops had been removed from
the area by the Bantenese, after the two parties did not get on
with each other, just before the Dutch came.

The name of Jatinegara Kaum, however, appeared later when the
term Jatinegara was widened following the growth of the area.

"So, to differentiate between old Jatinegara and the new area,
the old one was identified as Jatinegara Kaum," according to the
book Kampung Tua di Jakarta (Old Kampongs in Jakarta), published
by the then city museum and history agency.

Kaum meant the residential place for santri, students at
traditional Muslim schools.

"However, we have yet to determine when the word 'Kaum'
started to be used," says the book.

Local residents claiming to originate from Banten refer to the
fact that they speak Sundanese with a Bantenese dialect, but the
book says that the people might be also from as far as Cirebon in
West Java and Demak in Central Java.

According to the book, Jayawikarta's followers were not only
faithful Muslims from Banten, but also Cirebon and Demak.

"There are about 100 'original' families who are still living
here. In the past, it was forbidden to marry those from other
areas, but I don't know the reason why," said Supriadi, 56, the
caretaker of the grave of Prince Sanghiyang, whom Adolf Heuken
described in his book Historical Sites of Jakarta as the local
leader during the end of the 17th century .

Supriadi said that local residents were proud of having the
Sanghiyang and Jaketra graves which the residents, and also those
from other areas, considered sacred.

"About 20 outsiders visit the tombs every week," he added.

The two graves are located close to each other. The grave of
Achmad Jaketra is within the old Assalafiah Mosque complex.

His grave, together with four other tombs, is located under a
pavilion with a marble floor. The another four graves belong to
Prince Lahut (the son of Jaketra), Prince Soeria bin Padmanegara
(the great grandson of Jaketra), Prince Sageri and his wife Ratu
Rapiah (the daughter of Sanghiyang).

There is no information about Sageri.

Local people and some experts believe that Jaketra is Prince
Jayawikarta, who struggled against J.P. Coen. Others, however,
including Adolf Heuken, say that the corpse is one of
Jayawikarta's offspring.

"A tomb at Katengahan village in Banten since the beginning
was acknowledged as the tomb of Jayawikarta ... Historical data
show that Jayawikarta was called back by the Bantenese sultan as
the latter did not like the fact that Jayawikarta cooperated with
the British.

Regarding Jaketra, Heuken said that in 1752 a man, identified
as Mas Achmat, purchased land in Jatinegara, and that he was
regarded as regent of Jatinegara.

However, the Jakarta administration officially acknowledges
the Prince of Jayakarta with a plaque donated by former Jakarta
governor R. Soeprapto and other families with the inscription:
"We submit to you for your merit and sacrifice toward the country
and state."

The grave of Sanghiyang is located inside a building with a
carpeted floor, together with three other tombs bearing the names
Pangeran Nasib, Pangeran Tanzoel Arifin and Ibu Sri Pembayu.

There is yet another grave which has a relationship with
Jayakarta history. It is located on Jl. Pangeran Tubagus Angke in
West Jakarta, far from Jatinegara Kaum.

It contains the remains of Pangeran Wijayakusuma, a war
advisor to Jayawikarta. The lone grave with a nine-meter-wide
pavilion was restored in June 1968 by the city administration.