Sunda Kingdom

The Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom in western Java that flourished from the seventh century until its conquest by the Sultanate of Banten in 1579. It controlled the western part of Java, including the rice lands of the Priangan highlands and the pepper-growing coasts of Banten and Sunda Kelapa. The kingdom's capital moved several times, alternating between the Galuh region around Kawali in the east and Pakuan Pajajaran in the west, near modern Bogor. Sunda prospered through trade with India, China and the Indonesian archipelago, and its rulers left a rich legacy of inscriptions, temples and Old Sundanese literature. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the rise of the Demak Sultanate and then Banten eroded its coastal territories, while Portuguese and later Dutch traders appeared in the ports. The last king, Prabu Surya Kencana, was defeated by Banten in 1579, ending the kingdom. Sundanese traditions, language and the Pajajaran legend remain central to West Javanese identity.