Pemalang Regency

Pemalang Regency is a regency (Indonesian: kabupaten) on the north coast of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Pemalang. The regency is bordered by the Java Sea to the north, by Pekalongan Regency to the east, by Purbalingga Regency to the south, and by Tegal Regency to the west. It covers an area of 1,115.30 km², and it had a population of 1,261,353 at the 2010 Census and 1,471,489 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 1,541,685 (comprising 780,921 males and 760,764 females).

Archaeological evidence demonstrates settlement in Pemalang during prehistoric times. The findings of the punden and baths in the north-west of Moga District. Ganesha statue, phallus, graves and tombstones in the village of Keropak. Besides archaeological evidence that suggests the existence of an Islamic cultural elements can also be connected such as the grave of Sheikh Maulana Maghribi in Comal Kawedanan. There is also the grave of Rohidin, Sayyid uncle of Sunan Ampel Ngali who had a mission to convert the local population.

Pemalang's existence in the 16th century can be attributed to van Goens Rijkloff records and data in the book of W. Fruin Mees stated that in 1575 Pemalang is one of 14 independent regions in Java, led by a prince or a king. In a later development, and Panembahan Seda Senopati Panembahan Krapyak of Mataram conquered these areas, including Pemalang. Since then, Pemalang has become vassals of the Mataram area ruled by princes or vassal kings.

Pemalang and Kendal in the period before the 17th century were areas more important than Tegal, Pekalongan and Semarang, because of the highway linking the northern coast to the hinterland of Central Java (Mataram) that crosses Pemalang and Wiradesa, regarded as the oldest road connecting the two regions.

As the population of rural settlements that have regularly appeared in the early centuries AD to the period of the 14th and 15th centuries, and then growing rapidly in the 16th century, which increased during the development of Islam in Java under a kingdom of Demak, Cirebon and then Mataram.

At that time Pemalang had successfully established traditional governance in the years around 1575. Figure origins of Pajang named Prince Benawa. The Prince is King Jipang origin who succeeded his father who had died, Sultan Adiwijaya.

The position of the king was preceded by a bitter feud between him and Aria Pangiri.

Prince Benawa only ruled for one year. Local belief states that Prince Benawa died in Pemalang, and was buried in the village of Penggarit (now the Heroes Cemetery Penggarit).