South East Asian Trips

Human fossil skulls excavated in Indonesia during the 19th and 20th centuries point to the island of Java being the home of primitive man. Fossils of Homo Erectus - an ice-age near man, and Solo Man, a brain eating cannibal are indications of human inhabitation on these islands some five million years ago. The earliest known Homo Sapiens, the Wajak Man inhabited the Indonesian islands in more recent times - about ten to twelve thousand years ago.

The earliest records of Java are to be found in Indian chronicles from as far back as 600 BC, and Indonesia even finds mention in the great Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Indian influences came to Indonesia with traders in the 2nd century AD - and Indian culture and religion, then at the height of its golden period, found a fertile home in the feudal ruling classes of the Indonesian islands. Hindu dominance lasted for a period of fourteen hundred years, from 200 AD to 1600. Southern Indian scripts and Sanskrit had an influence on language, and astronomy, navigation techniques, the art of pottery and textile dying, sculpture, arts, architecture, philosophy and metaphysics were absorbed and integrated, as were the Hindu hierarchies of social structure.

By the 5th century, Hinduism was well entrenched in Java, with Brahmanist cults worshipping Shiva. The 9th century saw a fusion of beliefs, where Buddha and Shiva were worshipped as incarnations of the same being. However, the influence of Hinduism had no significant impact on the rural people, who practiced animism, some of whom continue to do so today. Buddhism found its roots in island of Sumatra and the two religions co-existed and developed peacefully.

The Indian era in Indonesia saw the rise and fall of many kingdoms - the Sriwijaya, Pajajaran, Sailendra, Kediri, Singosari, reaching its peak with the Majapahit Empire - considered the Golden Age of Indonesia. This period (1294-1398) saw Indonesian sculpture and architecture move away from Indian influences and move towards the establishment of more indigenous forms of culture.

Islam saw an entry into Indonesia as early as the 4th century, and was accepted in the areas of Indonesia which were least influenced by the Hindu kingdoms. The egalitarian and revolutionary concepts of Islam were embraced by the people as an alternative to feudal bondage, and had a greatly democratizing and civilizing influence on Indonesian society.

The Portuguese period in Indonesian history, though short (1512 - 1662), had a deep impact - Portuguese was imposed as the lingua franca, and the Portuguese influence still exists in language, music and architecture. In the 17th century, with the British busy setting up trading posts and concentrating on Singapore, Indonesia was left to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch started out as traders, and slowly extended their colonial tentacles over lands, production and political life, which saw a complete Dutch hegemony over Indonesian life.

Dutch colonial rule came to an end in 1949 - when the sovereign republic of Indonesia was formed. The first president of Indonesia, Achmed Soekarno started off with a shaky parliamentary democracy, but soon reverted to an authoritarian style of government, which led Indonesia into economic starvation and political chaos. In 1966 General Soeharto, whose regime, overthrew Soekarno in a political coup till 1998 saw Indonesia further slide into political chaos, internal rebellion and anarchy, and economic instability.

Today Islamic extremism, corruption, military excesses, separatist movements and violence in the name of religion foment Indonesia.

Pre and Early History

The Indonesian history recounts the formation of the archipelago after the latest ice age. Evidence from the fossils discovered suggests that the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited by 'Homo erectus', popularly known as the "Java Man" some 500,000 to 2 million years ago. A miniature hominoid that grew only three feet tall on the island of Flores were dubbed "Flores Man" or 'Homo floresiensis', although whether this is a separate species is in dispute. Archeological evidence of the present era from the Ujung Kulon National Park, West Java shows an early Hindu relic of a Lord Ganesha of the 1st century AD. Few kingdoms from the 2nd century were also found.

Pre-colonial Civilizations

A number of Hindu and Buddhist states flourished during this period of the history of Indonesia. The two largest islands in what is now Java and Sumatra has by the time of the European Renaissance seen over hundreds of civilization and two major empires. In the 7th century the kingdom of the Sriwijaya, an ancient Malay kingdom on the island of Sumatra flourished. Though it ceased to exist around the year 1400, a monopoly of Vajrayana Buddhism, Sriwijaya attracted pilgrims and scholars from all parts of Asia. Kedah was conquered from Sriwijaya in 1068 by Rajendra Chola, the Chola king of Tamil Nadu. The Cholas stayed on for the next 20 years in what is now Indonesia and Malaysia. The Muslim traders are said to have brought Islam to Indonesia and by the 13th century there were Muslim populations in northern Sumatra. The last prince of Sriwijaya, Parameswara converted to Islam by 1414 and founded the Sultanate of Malacca on the Malay Peninsula. In the Eastern Java came up the Singhasari and the Majapahit Empire ruled much of the southern Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and Bali from about 1293 to around 1500. This period is often referred to as a "Golden Age" of the history of Indonesia.

Colonial Era

In the early 16th century came the European traders seeking to monopolize the sources of some spices in The Moluccas. They sought to dominate the spice trade at its sources in India and the 'Spice Islands' of Indonesia. The Portuguese came to Indonesia also to extend their Roman Catholic missionary efforts. The Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1602 becoming a dominant trader. In its three centuries, several important treaties like the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 were signed. However, the VOC was officially dissolved following its bankruptcy and the Dutch East Indies established by the Netherlands government. The arrival of Europeans in South East Asia is referred to as the landmark in Indonesia's history.

Modern History

The first nationalist movement was formed in 1908 followed by the first nationalist mass movement in 1912. Dutch responded with repressive measures after the World War I, but during the Japanese occupation in World War II Sukarno, a popular leader of the Indonesian Nationalist Party, with the Japanese cooperation strengthened the independence movement. Basically the people of Dutch and mixed Dutch-Indonesian descent were targets of the Japanese occupation. The Japan organized an Indonesian committee on independence (BPUPKI) in March 1945. On 9th August 1945 Sukarno, Radjiman Wediodiningrat and Hatta were flown to Vietnam and told about Japan's decision to announce Indonesian independence on 24 August. However, Japan surrendered and on 17th August Sukarno unilaterally announced Indonesian independence. The first President was Sukarno with Muhammad Hatta as the Vice-president.