Today, 22 June 2009, is celebrated as Jakarta’s 482nd anniversary. Although in general, the history of Jakarta is still the subject of scholar’s debate, writings of European scholars in the 16th century mentioned a city named Kalapa, which seems to be the main port for a Hindu kingdom named Sunda. The capital city of Sunda was Pajajaran, located some 40 kilometers inland, near to where Bogor is now located.The Portuguese were the first to arrive in the city’s port, which is named ‘Sunda Kelapa’, initially looking for a relay harbour on their way to the spices island, Moluccas. They later signed a treaty with the kingdom of Sunda, as the Portuguese considered them an ally in the regional trade.

In 1527, troops from Cirebon and Demak, led by a man named Fatahillah, attacked the kingdom of Sunda and finally conquered it on 22 June 1527. Fatahillah then changed the name of ‘Sunda Kelapa’ (the name of the harbour) to ‘Jayakarta’ (which means ‘complete victory’). This date is now commemorated as Jakarta’s birth date.

The city’s name changed several times  after that. In 1619, after the Dutch victory against the English, the name was changed to ‘Batavia’. During the World War II, the Japanese renamed the city to ‘Jakarta’, and with the exception of a short period when the city was named ‘Djakarta’ due to changes in the Indonesian spelling rules, the city has retained its name since then.

Photo by: Gunawan Kartapranata

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