HISTORY

HERALDRY

Provinsi Banten

Army

Police

History

On the territory of today’s Banten a sultanate was founded in the 16th century. It was the successor of the kingdom of Sunda which existed from 669 until 1579. It extended to both sides of Strait Sunda and possessed territories on West Borneo (Kalimantan). It soon came into close contact with the Portuguese and the Dutch. In 1619 the Dutch took the port of Jayakarta from the sultanate and founded the city of Batavia there. This became the capital of the Dutch settlements and the center of Dutch expansion in the Indonesian archipelago.

A war between the VOC and Banten at the end of the 17th century resulted in a VOC-protectorate over Banten. On 22 November 1808, the then Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Daendels, declared that Banten had been absorbed into the territory of the Dutch East Indies. In 1813 Banten Sultanate ceased to exist when Thomas Stamford Raffles forced Sultan Muhamad Syafiuddin to give up his throne. This was the final blow that marked the end of the Sultanate of Banten.

After 1808 Banten was for a long time a division of West Java, from 1927 of West Java Province. It became a separate province in 2000. Capital: Serang.

Heraldry

Very little has remained of the sultanate’s political symbols but we may suppose that they were of the Indonesian muslim style. Eighteenth-century European flag charts give a yellow flag with two white crossed swords to the sultanate.

A 19th century replica of a crown from the kingdom of Sunda has been preserved. This is of the form of the Majapahit era and has two ornamental tails at the back. Such crowns are commonly worn by wajang kulit figurines and have been the prototype for Javanese dance crowns. [1]

From the pusaka and the regalia a golden crown has been preserved but this may not have been a royal crown and its meaning is unclear. [2] The Keraton Surosowan of Banten was destroyed in 1808 and only ruins remain.

Flag of Banten

from the “Nieuwe Tafel van al de Zee Vaarende Vlagge des Weerelts” by Cornelis Danckerts, ca. 1700.

This flag chart is from the time shortly after the defeat of the Bantam forces by the Dutch and by which the martial history of the Sultanate ended. 

Provinsi Banten

The arms of the present province are:

Arms: Vert, a mountain-ridge Sable charged with a picture of the minaret of Agung Banten Mosque at Missigit, surrounded by a garland of rice and cotton all proper, and a yellow five-pointed star above. In base a barry wavy Argent and Azure, surrounded by a demi cogwheel and charged with a picture of the air strip of Soekarno-Hatta airport with guiding lights, on which is the silhouette of a rhinoceros, all proper. And a chief Argent with the name BANTEN in red lettering.

Motto: IMAN TAQWA  (Compliance to the Faith).

Symbolism

The Mountain Ridge symbolizes the natural wealth

The Mosque symbolizes the guidance of Allah and a religious society

The Garland makes the date of the proclamation of Independence 17 August 1945

The Star symbolizes the Pantja Sila, the five principles of State

The Barry Wavy symbolizes the sea coast of Banten and its economic potential

The Cogwheel symbolizes industry

The Air field symbolizes the important Soekarno-Hatta airfield

The Guiding Lights symbolize spirituality

The Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus - Rhinocerotidæ) symbolizes the ambition of the Sundanese people to build a fair society

The Colours

The colours mean:

Red: bravery

White: purity, wisdom, ability

Yellow: nobility

Black: strength

Grey: firmness

Blue: peacefulness

Green: fertility

Brown: prosperity, wealth

ð See illustration in the head of this essay.

ARMED FORCES

Army

Police

Today Banten is controlled by TNI

 Kodam III/Siliwangi