Its northern border is limited by the hills of
Kendal and
Mount Ungaran. The plain also borders the Menoreh Hills in the southwest and
Prambanan Plain in the southeast. The
Progo River runs through the center of this plain, from its source on the slope of Mount Sundoro to the southern coast of Java facing the
Indian Ocean. It has been a significant location in Central Javanese history for over a millennium, as it contains traces of the
Sailendra dynasty as well as
Borobudur and associated locations. During the colonial
Dutch East Indies period, the Kedu Plain was located in the
Kedu Residency, which at that time covered what are now the
Magelang Regency,
Magelang City, and
Temanggung Regency administrative units.
When
Britain took briefly control of the region in 1811,
Magelang became the seat of government. After the
Napoleonic wars ended, the English turned Java back over to the Dutch in 1816[1] and Magelang continued to play a central role in the Dutch East Indies.
There is a small hill near Magelang called
Mount Tidar that is referred to as the Nail of Java.[2] According to Javanese legend, the gods placed the nail to prevent the island of Java from sinking into the sea from tremors.
Archaeological sites
The Kedu Plain hosts a large number of Hindu and Buddhist temples dated, from the 8th to the 9th century. Because of this, the Kedu Plain is considered the cradle of classic Indonesian civilization. The temples in the region include:[3]: 89–90
Pawon: The small 8th-century Buddhist temple near the bank of Progo River is located between Mendut and Borobudur.
Ngawen: The 8th-century Buddhist temple is located about 5 kilometers east of Mendut temple.
Banon: The ruins of a Hindu temple; located several hundred meters north of Pawon temple. However, no significant remains of the temple have survived, thus, its reconstruction is impossible. Only the statues of
Shiva,
Vishnu,
Agastya, and
Ganesha have been discovered, which are now displayed at the
National Museum of Indonesia,
Jakarta.
Canggal: also known as Candi Gunung Wukir. One of the oldest Hindu temples in the area. The temple is located in the
Muntilan area, near the temple a
Canggal inscription connected with
Sri Sanjaya, the king of
Mataram Kingdom was discovered.
Gunung Sari: The ruins of a Hindu temple on top of a hill, located near Candi Gunung Wukir, on the outskirts of Muntilan.
Umbul: in Grabag,
Magelang; it served as a bathing and resting place for the kings of
Mataram.
^Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press.
ISBN978-0-8248-0368-1.
Further reading
(in Indonesian) Suroyo, A. M. Juliati. (1900) Industri perkebunan dan dampaknya perkebunan kopi di karesidenan Kedu, 1850-1900 [S.l.] : Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Direktorat Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional, Proyek Inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi Sejarah Nasional, (Seminar Sejarah Nasional V, Semarang, 27-30 Agustus 1990).
(in Indonesian) Suroyo, Agustina Magdalena Djuliati. (2000) Eksploitasi kolonial abad XIX : kerja wajib di Keresidenan Kedu 1800-1890 Yogyakarta : Yayasan untuk Indonesia.
ISBN979-8681-56-8