Kotagede, Mataram Kingdom

Kotagede is a silent witness of the rise of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom that ruled almost the entire Java. The cemetery of Islamic Mataram Kingdom forefathers, the fort’s ruins, and the other historical remains can be found in Kotagede.n the 8th century, the area of Mataram (now is known as Yogyakarta) was the center of Old Mataram Kingdom that ruled the entire Java. This kingdom had an extraordinary prosperity and civilization, so it had the ability to build ancient temples with an extravagant architecture, such as Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple. However, in the 10th century, with an unknown reason, the kingdom moved the center of the government to East Java area. The great numbers of citizens left Mataram and gradually this area became a woodland or forest.
Six centuries later, Java was ruled by The Sultanate of Pajang which is centered in Central Java. Sultan Hadiwijaya, who ruled in that time, gave Alas Mentaok (Mentaok Forest), which was very large in area, to Ki Gede Pemanahan for his achievement in defeating the enemy of kingdom. Ki Gede Pemanahan with all of his family and followers moved to Alas Mentaok, a forest that used to be the Old Mataram Kingdom.