Historic Background Of Java

Java is considered by many scholars to be one of the earliest 'cradles of civilisation’- after all, it was on this island that remains of the pre-historic 'Java Man’ were found. Later centuries saw Java under the suzerainty of Hindu rulers, whose domain was mainly centred around Central Java. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the Hindu empire of Mataram touched its zenith, and it was at this time that one of Java’s outstanding monuments were built- the magnificent Borobodur temple complex, probably the most spectacular Buddhist shrine on earth. Later empires, such as the Sanjaya dynasty also left behind evidence of their reign in the form of temples dedicated to Hindu gods.

The coming of the Arabs to Java resulted in the downfall of the Hindu empire (Islam replaced Hinduism as the religion of the majority), but with the passage of time, the Muslim rulers were themselves ousted by European colonists. It was in Java (at Banten, to be precise) that the Dutch and the British first set foot in Indonesia, and it was from Java that the Dutch ruled Indonesia till the country’s independence in 1949.