Batusangkar (''batu'': stone, rock, ''sangkar'': cage) is the capital of the

Tanah Datar Tanah Datar Regency is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, regency (''kabupaten'') in West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The regency has an area of 1,337.1 km2 and had a population of 338,484 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat ...

regency of

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It is known as "the city of culture".

History

The town is near the former seat of the

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...

royalty established by

Adityawarman Adityawarman (formal regnal name Maharajadiraja Srīmat Srī Udayādityawarma Pratāpaparākrama Rājendra Maulimāli Warmadewa. ) was a king of Malayapura Suvarnabhumi, and is the successor of the Mauli dynasty based in central Sumatra. He ...

in ''Pagaruyung'', represented by the reconstructed

Pagaruyung Palace Pagaruyung Palace () is the '' istana'' (royal palace) of the former Pagaruyung Kingdom, located in Tanjung Emas subdistrict near Batusangkar town, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It was built in the traditional Minangkabau Rumah ...

. Several stones bearing inscriptions ('' prasasti'') left by Adityavarman that remain in the region are the first written records in West Sumatra. After the death of Adityawarman (1375), no more stone inscriptions were produced.

Fort van der Capellen

The town was known as Fort van der Capellen during

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

when it was a Dutch outpost established during the

Padri War The Padri Wars (also called the Minangkabau War) was fought from 1803 until 1837 in West Sumatra, Indonesia between the Padri and the Adat. The Padri were Islam, Muslim clerics from Sumatra who wanted to impose Sharia in Minangkabau Highlands, ...

(1821–37). The fort was built between 1822 and 1826 and named after the

Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies The governor-general of the Dutch East Indies (, ) represented Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the independence of Indonesia in 1949. Occupied by Japanese forces between 1942 and 1945, followed by the ...

Godert van der Capellen Godert Alexander Gerard Philip, Baron van der Capellen (Utrecht, 15 December 1778 – De Bilt, 10 April 1848) was a Dutch statesman. He held several important posts under the Kingdom of Holland and the Sovereign Principality of the United Net ...

. The city was officially renamed Batusangkar in 1949, replacing its colonial name.

Indo Jelito building

Indo Jelito building is the residence of the regent of Tanah Datar. Each regent who has served has automatically lived here. This building itself is a former residence of the Dutch resident Van der Capellen during colonial times, with a strong architectural style of Art Deco style buildings that characterized the Dutch.

External links

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Tanah Datar Menyimpan JejakAdityawarman
Populated places in West Sumatra Regency seats of West Sumatra {{WSumatra-geo-stub