JAVA

The island exceptional fertility allowed the development of an intensive sawah (wet-rice) agricultue, which in turn required close cooperation between villages for the maintenanceof the irrigtion systems. From this first need for local government small kingdoms developed, but the first major principality appears to have been that of the King Sanjaya's. Around the beginning of the 8th century he founded the kingdom of Mataram, which controlled much of Central Java. Mataram's religion centred on the Hindu god Shiva, and the kingdom produced some of the earliest of java's Hindu temples on the Dieng Plateau.   Sanjaya's Hindu kingdom was followed by a Buddhist interlude under the Sailendra dynasty; it was during this time that Mahayana Buddhism was established on Java and work began (probably around 780 AD) on Borobodur. Hinduism continued to exist alongside Buddhism, and the massive Hindu Prambanan complex was built and consecrated around 856 AD. Hinduism and Buddhism often fused into one religion on Java.   Mataram mysteriously collapsed and its great monuments were abandoned. No great kingdoms were recorded until the rise of civilisations in the Brantas Valley in East Java in the 11th century. King Airlangga was a legendary king who, until his death in 1049, fought to bring much of East Java under his control and extended Javanese influence to Bali.   Early in the 13th century, the kingdom of Singosari rose to prominence and expanded its power until its last king, Kertanegara, was murdered in a rebellion in 1292. Kertanagara's son-in-law and successor, Wijaya, then established the Majapahit Empire, the greatest empire of the Hindu-Javanese period. Under Hayam Wuruk (ruled 1350-89) the Majapahit Empire claimed sovereignty over much of the Indonesian archipelago.   After the death of Hayam Wuruk, Majapahit declined and coastal principalities began to adopt Islam and break away from Majapahit rule. The 15th and 16th centuries saw the rise of new islamic kingdoms such as Demak, Cirebon and Banten along the north coast. Demak finally conquered Majapahit, and by the end of the 16th century, a new Muslim kingdom in Central Java assumed the name of Mataram, in memory of the glorious past kingdom of Central Java. The new Mataram went on to control Central and Eastern Java, and it was the greatest power in Indonesia when the Dutch arrived   From the start, the Dutch looked to Java as the center of their colony, establishing a post in Batavia (now Jakarta) and then conquering the port of Banten in the west. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) successfully repelled Mataram, then began to spread its influence into the interior.   Java, with its vast human resources and Dutch colonial investment, very much dominated Indonesia. Though the mineral and natural resources of other islands began to overshadow Java in economic importance, Java was the most developped island and sucked in the greatest resources. This is still the case in modern Indonesia, and often causes resentment in the other provinces.