The History of the Regency Name 'Majalengka'

Majalengka is a district in the province of West Java, Indonesia.

Majalengka Regency symbol

majalengka district map on google

first version

Majalengka, a small town in West Java. The majority of the livelihoods of the people of Majalengka City are farming.

Majalengka City, like other cities in Indonesia, also has its own history. Our society is a society that is very attached and believes in the history of the occurrence or origin of a region. The city of Majalengka also has its own story which is told from generation to generation in the form of oral literature by the people.

The story about the origin of this area is intended not only to make the descendants know about the origin of Majalengka City, but also to carry on other forms of tradition, especially matters relating to the belief in ancestral spirits who still guard the area.

The Origin of Majalengka City

In the story of a visit to the people of Majalengka City, it is said that the naming of Majalengka comes from the name of a tree, namely the maja tree. At that time, Majalengka City was not yet named Majalengka. Majalengka City is a Hindu kingdom led by a very fanatical queen named Nyi Rambut love, some call it Nyi Ambet Kasih.

In the past, the Majalenkg area was named Sindangkasih. Currently the word Sindangkasih is used as a village in Majalengka City. Nyi Rambut love is the figure of a beautiful, powerful, and wise queen. Nyi Rambutkasih is able to make Sindangkasih a safe, peaceful, prosperous and peaceful area.

Sindangkasih is a fertile area. Various plants abound in this area. This area is filled with forests that stretch to the north and south. In the forest, trees with straight trunks and tall with small leaves dominate the forest. The tree is called the maja tree. A tree that has properties to cure fever.

One day, Sunan Gunung Jati or Syarif Hidayatullah, who had celebrated Cirebon, ordered his son, Prince Muhammad, to get a maja tree. He gave the task to his son because at that time the residents were stricken with fever.

Because the maja tree has the property of curing fever, Prince Muhammad went with his wife, Nyi Siti Armilah, to the Sindangkasih area. They were not only given orders to look for maja trees, but also had the task of spreading Islam in Sindangkasih, a Hindu kingdom led by a fanatical queen.

Nyi Rambutkasih as a powerful queen, knew the purpose of Prince Muhammad's arrival. He then changed the appearance of the forest in Sindangkasih into a forest of teak trees, not maja trees.

Seeing the maja tree he was looking for was no longer there, Prince Muhammad said: Maja Langka which means the maja tree does not exist. That's where the naming of the city of Majalengka now comes from.

Disappointed Prince Muhammad then decided not to return to Cirebon. He meditated at the foot of the mountain until he died. The mountain is now named Margatapa. Meanwhile, his wife, looking for a maja tree and conquering the fanatical Nyi Rambutkasih so that she is willing to embrace Islam.

Nyi Rambutkasih vehemently refused Nyi Siti Armilah's invitation, until she said, "I am a queen who protects the people who are honest and good, on the other hand, I am a queen who never hesitates to punish her people who act fraudulently and badly. And because of that I will not die and will not die.”

Then, Nyi Siti Armilah replied with the words: "If that is the case, what is the name of the creature, which will not die and will not die?"

Along with the words of Nyi Siti Armilah, Nyi Rambutkasih disappeared (in Sundanese ngahiang) without leaving her grave. However, some of Nyi Rambutkasih's remains are still considered haunted, including the well "Sindangkasih", the well of Sunjaya, the well "Ciasih" and the stones used by Nyi Rambutkasih.

After that incident, Nyi Siti Armilah settled in the kingdom of Sindangkasih and spread Islam. He was buried beside the Citangkurak hook. At that time a badori tree grew. Before she died, Nyi Siti Armilah gave a mandate that near her grave would one day become the residence of the ruler who governs the government in the maja area.

Nyi Siti Armilah's grave is located behind the Majalengka Regency building. The people of Majalengka City call it Embah Gendeng badori and are often visited for pilgrimages.

Most of the people of Majalengka City still believe in the existence of the spirit of Nyi Rambutkasih who guards or controls Majalengka City. As long as the people of Majalengka City still behave honestly and well, life in Majalengka City will remain peaceful, safe, fertile, prosperous and peaceful.

another version

Almost every Majalengka believes that Majalengka comes from the Cirebon language, namely from the words Majae and Langka, the word [Maja-e] means [Maja Fruit] while the word [Langka] means [Lost].

The emergence of the word Majae Langka which was later used as the name of the Regency bordering Cirebon and Indramayu was associated with the feud of Nyi Rambut Kasih as Queen of Sindangkasih who at that time was still embracing Hindu-Buddhist Vs Islamic Cirebon.

It is said that he said "Cirebon people look for Maja fruit in Sindangkasih to be used as medicines (there is a possibility of malaria medicine) but the Queen because she hates the Cirebon people then destroys the maja tree, so when the Cirebon people get to Sindangkasih they Cirebon people say " MAJAE LANGKA = MAJA FRUIT IS LOST".

Later, after the next ruler of Sindangkasih embraced Islam, it is said that the word Majae Langka was used to replace the name Sindangkasih, as a tribute to the Cirebon people who had converted Sindangkasih. So after that, the Kingdom of Majalengka emerged with an Islamic pattern to replace the Kingdom's Sindangkasih which had a Hindu-Buddhist pattern.

Do you believe in that story? Do you believe that Majalengka comes from the word Majae-Langka?

Honestly, the author believes that Majae Langka comes from the Cirebon language but it doesn't mean the fruit of Majanya is missing, but "the Regency of Maja is Missing" well, while regarding the emergence of the name Majalengka which is associated with Nyi Rambut Kasih, the Queen of the Kingdom of Sindang Kasih vs Cirebon, really 100% of the authors do not believe it. Want to know the reason?

First reason

What is the proof if the word Majalengka means "The Maja Regency is Missing"?

Majalengka Regency was founded in 1840 AD, Majalengka was founded after previously eliminating the old Regency called Maja Regency, at that time the capital of Maja Regency was located in Sindangkasih, after Maja Regency was eliminated then Majalengka Regency was established.

It was named Majalengka Regency because it had the intention that this Regency was established because it previously eliminated Maja Regency, because indeed the word Majae Langka means the disappearance or Loss of Maja Regency and was replaced with a new Regency which was later named Majalengka.

Valid evidence of the origins of the establishment of Majalengka Regency which replaced Maja Regency is the Dutch Besluit (Cirebon Residency Branch) which states that:

Since February 11, 1840 the name of Maja Regency was changed to Majalengka Regency. The whistle reads:

Your mind has been enlightened to this point.....? Have you ever thought about why you have to believe in news from the Netherlands? Yes, because at that time (1840) we were under the Dutch colony, so it was the right to allow changes, additions or even the abolition of the Dutch government, and incidents like this were recorded in the Dutch Administration,

Second Reason

Furthermore, why doesn't the writer believe in the story of Nyi Rambut Kasih Vs Cirebon which led to the emergence of Majelengka?

To answer this problem, the author first presents the story of Nyi Rambut Kasih vs Cirebon, which is believed by most Majalengka people, to be clear, the story goes:

Formerly in the area which is now called Majalengka Regency stood the Sindangkasih Kingdom which was led by a queen named Nyimas Rambut Kasih. This queen is still Buddhist, and does not want to be Islamized by Cirebon, and insists on hating the Cirebon people.

Because he hates Cirebon people so much, to the point that when in Cirebon there was an outbreak of a disease caused by an unknown virus and coincidentally the virus was said to be so deadly that many Cirebon people died, Nyimas Rambut Kasih didn't care and was even grateful for it.

But fortunately based on the analysis of the healers in Cirebon finally found a drug to deal with the virus, namely "Maja Fruit". However, because many Cirebon people are sick, the Maja Fruit stock in the Cirebon Kingdom is not sufficient. Facing this, the Sultan of Cirebon sent his soldiers to look for Maja fruit to a neighboring country, and based on the envoys' search, it was found that Maja fruit grew a lot in the territory of the Sindangkasih Kingdom.

Hearing the news, then the Sultan of Cirebon ordered his envoy to buy and then bring the Maja fruit from Sindangkasih to Cirebon. However, this news was later heard by Nyimas Rambut Kasih, he then ordered his people to cut down the Maja tree so that there was no trace, because for Nyimas Rambut Kasih Cirebon was an enemy, so it should not be helped.

Sure enough, when the Cirebon envoy came to Sindangkasih, it turned out that their Maja Target fruit that they had seen thriving in Sindangkasih had disappeared like no trace. The word "maja fruit that is lost without a trace" in the Cirebon language is "Majae Langka". or Maja=Maja Fruit, Langka=None/None Used.

Because of this incident, Sindangkasih was later called by the Cirebon people as the Majae Langka area, and then with the passage of the Age the word Majae Langka was changed to Majalengka. This Majelengka word later replaced Sindangkasih

This is the story of the Sindangkasih Kingdom and its queen named Rambut Kasih (another name Ambet Kasih) according to his relatives, urang Majalengka.

To prove the truth about the existence of the Sindangkasih kingdom which is claimed to be in the former Majelngka Regency now, the author traces to the Cirebon Sultanate Manuscripts, Why the Cirebon Sultanate ..? Yes, because the Cirebon sultanate is the oldest government institution in the West Java region that still exists, right, so they have records in the classical period, especially if the incident is linked to Cirebon.

After doing a search, the author found:

In the Carita Purwaka Caruban Nagari Pupuh III Manuscript, it is stated:

It is told briefly about the life journey of Prabu Siliwangi, a great king who ruled Pakwan Pajajaran. He was the son of King Anggalarang from the Galuh dynasty who ruled in Surawisesa (galuh palace).

In his youth, he was named Raden Manah Rarasa (Pamanah Rasa) and was cared for by his grandson, Ki Gedeng Sindangkasih, a port interpreter who controlled the port of Muara Jati. King Siliwangi married Ki Gedeng Sindangkasih's daughter, Nyai Ambetkasih.

Prabu Siliwangi took part in a competition in the land of Surantaka, a subordinate of the Pajajaran country, which was organized by the king of Singapore, Ki Gedeng Tapa. In the competition, he emerged victorious and was entitled to marry Nyai Subanglarang, the daughter of Ki Gedeng Tapa. After Ki Gedeng Sindangkasih died, Raden Pamanah Rasa was made King Sindangkasih with the title Prabu Siliwangi.

After a while, Prabu Siliwangi was crowned Maharaja in Pakwan Pajajaran with the title Pabu Dewatawisesa and lived in the Sang Bima palace with his wife Nyai Subanglarang.

In the Mertasinga Pupuh Manuscript XLX-L.17, it is stated:

The king of Sindangkasih at the time of Sunan Gunung Jati was named Dalem Digja. During the Digja court, Sindangkasih was conquered by Cirebon through Ki Gede Ing Susukan and Tegal Gubung. In this conquest, the history of Sindangkasih as a kingdom is said to have been destroyed. In this conquest King Sindangkasih is said to be Moksa (There is a possibility that he meant to run away)

After seeing the two texts above, you start to be enlightened again..? or how..? are you still confused?

So it's like this, that indeed the Sindangkasih Kingdom exists, Nyi Ambet Kasih or Rambut Kasih also exists, but so the Sindangkasih Kingdom is not located in the area now called Majalengka Regency, then the Nyi Rambut Kasih figure is an old figure, the wife of Prabu Siliwangi. Cirebon was not born at that time, Cirebon was still under the kingdom of Singapore and Surantaka.

According to historians of the Sindang Kasih Kingdom, it is now located in Sindangkasih Village, Beber District, Cirebon Regency. So just because in Majalengka there is the name Sindangkasih Village and it is always associated with the Sindangkasih Kingdom, that's not true.

There are many Sindangkasih villages, even in Ciamis Regency there is also a village called Sindangkasih. After all, this kingdom is said to have collapsed during the 15th century Sunan Gunung Jati, its last king was Dalem Digja.

I wrote this article from various sources on the internet. If something goes wrong, please comment below. thanks.