Kuningan Regency

Kuningan Regency is a regency of the West Java province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,194.09 km², and it had a population of 1,035,589 at the 2010 census and 1,167,686 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as of mid 2024 was 1,213,927. Kuningan Regency is located in the east of the province, south of Cirebon Regency, east of Majalengka Regency and northeast of Ciamis Regency, and bordering Central Java Province to the east and southeast. The town and district of Kuningan is its administrative capital.

Etymology

The area of the eastern slopes and valley of Mount Cereme has been known as the Kuningan Duchy since the Hindu period as part of the Galuh Kingdom circa 14th century. The name "Kuningan" is believed to have come from the Sundanese word kuning meaning "yellow". An alternate theory suggests the name proliferated from the Sundanese word kuningan, a local name for brass, the metal which has been produced and used for hundreds of years in this area. According to the local tradition, the name Kuningan derived from Prince Arya Kuningan or Adipati Kemuning, a local hero and ruler of this region circa 1498.

History

Prehistoric era

The oldest archaeological findings in the region were found in 1972, objects such as sherds, stone tools, gravestones, and ceramics were unearthed in the Cipari megalithic site with shreds of evidence from the bronze and iron metallurgical culture, assumed it belong to the Old Megalithicum age, from around 3500 BC to 1500 BC. Meanwhile, Ekadjati argues in his book that the Neolithic era spanned from 2500 BC to 1500 BC. After that era, the Megalithic era began until the early centuries of the Common Era. Based on findings, at those times, prehistoric humans in Kuningan were at the transition of semi-nomadic and pastoralism. They mainly lived near rivers and water springs on the eastern slopes of Mount Ciremai.

Hindu-Buddhist period

The area around Kuningan was originally under the control of the Tarumanagara Kingdom. After the split between the Galuh and Sunda kingdoms, Galuh ruled the region, the reference to which was found in the story of Parahyangan.
At the end of the 7th century, the Tarumanagara Kingdom collapsed. The Kuningan Kingdom, and other small kingdoms, came to rule the territory of the former Tarumanagara. The Kuningan Kingdom territory was situated between the Galuh and Indraprahasta Kingdoms. The first king of the kingdom was Sang Pandawa, also called Sang Wiragati.
In 671, Sang Pandawa married his daughter, Sangkari to Demunawan. He was the son of Danghiyang Guru Sempakwaja, a resiguru of Sanghiyang, based in Galunggung. However, Danghiyang Guru Sempakwaja disliked Sang Pandawa's behavior. He asked Sanjaya, the king of the Galuh Kingdom, to invade the Kuningan Kingdom which was still ruled by Sang Pandawa.
After the conflict, Danghiyang Guru Sempakwaja appointed Sang Pandawa a resiguru in Layuwatang. The king's position was then succeeded by Demunawan in 723 with the royal title of Rahiyangtang Kuku. During his rule, the capital city of the kingdom was Saunggalah. Parts of Galunggung were also absorbed by the Kuningan Kingdom under his reign.
Saunggalah was ruled by Rakeyan Dharmasiksa from 1163 to 1175. He was the son of Prabu Dharmakusuma, king of the Sunda Kingdom who had reigned 1157–1175. After the death of his father, Rakeyan Dharmasiksa succeeded as king of the Sunda Kingdom. As ruler of Saunggalah, he was then succeeded by his son Ragasuci, sometimes called Rajaputra. With the royal title of Rahiyang Saunggalah, he reigned until 1298. He married Dara Puspa, princess of Melayu Kingdom. Rahiyang Saunggalah then succeeded as king of the Sunda Kingdom in 1298 with the royal title of Prabu Ragasuci. In Saunggalah, he was then succeeded by his son Citragandha.
Ekadjati argues that based on this information, the rulers of the Kuningan Kingdom and the Sunda Kingdom were still relatives. Those two kingdoms were still distinct, not in the status of vassal and superior states, but the king of Kuningan had a lower status than the king of Sunda.
In the 14th century, the Galuh Kingdom unified the majority of lands of the Sundanese under its government. The Kuningan Kingdom then was absorbed into the former.

Islamic period

In the 15th century, an ulama and also a ruler named Syarif Hidayatullah settled in Cirebon, to spread Islam in this still pagan area. In the meantime, his pregnant wife Queen Ong-thien Nio from Ming China came to Kuningan and gave birth to a child named Prince of Kuningan. Prince of Kuningan established his realm and ascended the throne on 1 September 1498, a date regarded as the official establishment of Kuningan Regency since 1978.
In the 15th century, there were two settlements named Kuningan—the center of the present-day regency—and Luragung, located about 19 kilometers east of it. Luragung was home to notable figures such as Arya Kamuning and Ki Gedeng Luragung. Those two along with Ratu Selawati were descendants of Prabu Siliwangi. As the influence of the Sunda Kingdom declined in the region and the Sultanate of Cirebon rose to power, the area’s predominantly Hindu-animist beliefs began to be replaced by Islam. The three siblings later converted to Islam.
Another version of the story states that the Prince of Kuningan was the son of Ki Gedeng Luragung, who was later adopted by Sunan Gunung Jati. A third version claims that he was the son of Sheikh Maulana Arifin and Ratu Selawati.
Luragung and Kuningan were later unified into a single administrative region under the Sultanate of Cirebon, known as the Principality of Kuningan.
Arya Kamuning spread Islam with the assistance of Sunan Gunung Jati’s envoys, Prince Purwajaya and Prince Purwaganda, extending his efforts to the eastern and southern regions through cultural performances as a means of propagation. Areas such as Lebakwangi, Pasir Gulasagandu near Luragung, and the surroundings of the Cijolang River were relatively receptive to his teachings. Resistance, however, began to emerge in the southwestern areas near Talaga.
Prince of Kuningan was instructed by Sunan Gunung Jati to admonish Ki Gedeng Plumbon, another disciple of Sunan Gunung Jati, who was regarded as propagating a deviant interpretation of Islam in Cigugur. When persuasion proved ineffective, the Duke ultimately resorted to physical measures to resolve the matter.
In 1528, the Kingdom of Galuh planned an invasion of the Sultanate of Cirebon. As the invading forces would pass through Kuningan, Cirebon requested military assistance from the region. Prince of Kuningan led battles in several areas, including the foothills of Mount Gundul, Rajagaluh, and Palimanan. Although the Kuningan forces were initially outnumbered and pushed back, they eventually repelled the Galuh attack with reinforcements from Cirebon and Demak.
After the death of the Prince of Kuningan, he was reportedly succeeded by his son, Geusan Ulun, who is believed to have ruled from the late 16th century to the mid-17th century. Geusan Ulun is believed to have had up to 50 children, many of whom became village leaders within his domain. After his death, he was succeeded by his son, who held the title Dalem Mangkubumi.
After Dalem Mangkubumi’s rule, the leadership of Kuningan became unclear. The region is believed to have been contested between the Sultanate of Cirebon, the Sultanate of Mataram, and the Dutch East India Company.

Colonial era

According to Dutch historical records from the early 18th century, the Kuningan principality had about 100 families—or roughly 400 to 500 inhabitants—in the main Kuningan village, while surrounding villages contained around 5,800 families, totaling between 25,000 and 30,000 people. The interregional route connecting Kawali, Ciamis, and Cirebon passed through Sangkanhurip, Cigugur, and Darma, and was accessible by horseback.
Since 2 February 1809, the Dutch colonial government implemented the Reglement op het beheer van de Cheribonsche Landen, dividing Cirebon into two prefectures: Cirebon and Priangan-Cirebon. Under the Cirebon prefecture, two districts were located within the area of present-day Kuningan Regency—Cikaso District and Kuningan District. Contemporary statistics recorded populations of 9,488 and 12,277 respectively, with 547 and 430 jung of rice fields.
In 1819, another administrative reorganization took place in Cirebon. The region became a Residency divided into five regencies, including Kuningan. The northern boundary of Kuningan Regency extended from the Cisande River to the summit of Mount Ciremai. The western boundary ran from Mount Ciremai to the Cijolang River, the southern boundary from the Cijolang River to the Cilacap Regency, and the eastern boundary from the Cijolang River to the confluence of the Cilosari and Cisande Rivers.
In the 1930s, many of the residents moved to Sumatra and Kalimantan to work in oil and gas mines.

Post-Independence period

A notable event in Indonesian history occurred in Kuningan when the Linggadjati Agreement was signed between the Indonesian and Dutch governments on 15 November 1946, in the village of Linggajati within the regency. There is a dedicated small museum in the village, about 25 km from Cirebon, which records the events of the Linggadjati conference.
In the 1950s, due to the insurgency of Kartosuwiryo, many of the residents moved to Jakarta and other large cities on Java Island.

Geography

Kuningan is located in the eastern part of West Java. It is bordered by Cirebon Regency to the north, Majalengka Regency to the west, Ciamis Regency and Cilacap Regency to the south, and by Brebes Regency and Cilacap Regency to the east and southeast. The regency capital is the town of Kuningan. Its mean elevation is 680 metres above sea level. The regency's landscape is composed of volcanoes, steep terrain, forests, mountains rivers, and fertile agricultural land. The highest mountain in the province, Ciremai is located between the border of this regency and Majalengka Regency. There are numerous tropical rainforests in Kuningan, which contain tree species such as Pinus, teureup, yellow mahogany, langsat, and putat.
Kuningan has an area of 1,194.09 km². The western and southern parts are relatively mountainous, around 266–720 m above sea level, while the eastern and northern parts are lower, between 120 and 220 m. Most of the rivers in the regency flow toward the Java Sea from the western and southern to the northern and eastern parts of the regency. The exception is the Jolang River, which flows southward to the Indian Ocean.
In Darma District, there is the Darma Dam functioning as a clean water and irrigation source, fish farm, and tourist destination. The construction of the dam was started in 1942, but it was completed in the early 1960s. A legendary creature in the form of a giant white eel was believed by residents as the reason for the lengthy duration of the construction.