Fort van der Capellen is a small 19th-century Dutch fort in Batusangkar, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The town of Batusangkar grew considerably around the Fort van der Capellen. The fort was named after the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Godert van der Capellen.
The fort is one of the forts established by the Dutch during the period of war between the so-called Padris and the so-called Adats. The Padris were basically Minangkabau Muslim clerics who studied in Saudi Arabia, inspired by Wahabism, and decided to impose this sharia among the indigenous people of Minangkabau. The adats on the other hand consisted of Minangkabau nobility and chiefs who were loyal to the highly syncretic interpretation of Islam which had intermingled with the traditional adat or customary law; such as the practice of maternalism, which is against the principle of Wahabism. The adats asked for the help from the Dutch who intervened from 1821 and helped the nobility to defeat the Padris. [1]
It began with Dutch Colonel Raff entering the territory of Tanah Datar. In the city of Batusangkar, the Dutch decided to establish a fort on the highest ground around 500 meters from the city center. The construction of the fort was finished in 1824. The fort was christened Van der Capellen after the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies at that time Baron van der Capellen. It is a small fort surrounded with a 75-centimeter-thick (30 in) and 4-meter-high (13 ft) wall. [2]
During the period of Japanese occupation, the fort was under the control of the Indonesian military corps the Badan Keamanan Rakjat ("People's Security Corps") from 1943 to 1945. After the declaration of the Indonesian independence, the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat ("People's Security Army") was set up in the fort from 1945 to 1947. These military bodies were the predecessor of the Indonesian National Army. The Dutch briefly captured the fort from 1948 to 1950 during the controversial Operation Kraai. [2]
In the fully-fledged independent Indonesia, the fort was used by the university body PTPG Batusangkar — the predecessor of the State University of Padang — for educational purpose, the inauguration was enacted by Mohammad Yamin. [2]
In 1955, when PTPG Batusangkar were transferred to Bukit Gombak, the fort was converted into a military headquarter of the Angkatan Perang Republik Indonesia. During the rebellion from the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia toward the central government in 1957, Fort van der Capellen was captured by Batalyon 439 Diponegoro, which later transferred to the Indonesian National Police on May 25, 1960. The fort was made the headquarter of the Police Resort Command until year 2001 when the headquarter was transferred to a new building in Pagaruyung. [2]
The original clay tile roof has been replaced with corrugated steel in 1974. Additional rooms were added in 1984 for a kindergarten. The dry moat has been refilled in 1986. Last changes in the building occurred in 1988 with the additional buildings of storage and a dining area. [2]
In 2008 parts of the fort has been restored by the Archaeological Heritage Preservation body. [2]
Tuanku Imam Bonjol, also known as Muhammad Syahab, Peto Syarif, and Malim Basa, was one of the most popular leaders of the Padri movement in Central Sumatra. He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia.
Minangkabau people, also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau's West Sumatran homelands was the seat of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, believed by early historians to have been the cradle of the Malay race, and the location of the Padri War.
The Padri War was fought from 1803 until 1837 in West Sumatra, Indonesia between the Padri and the Adat. The Padri were Muslim clerics from Sumatra who wanted to impose Sharia in Minangkabau country in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Adat comprised the Minangkabau nobility and traditional chiefs. They asked for the help of the Dutch, who intervened in 1821 and helped the nobility defeat the Padri faction.
West Sumatra is a 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 North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi), with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census. The official estimate at mid 2022 was 5,640,629. The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java, although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.
Pagaruyung, also known as Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and, Malayapura or Malayupura, was a kingdom that once stood in the island of Sumatra and the seat of the Minangkabau kings of Western Sumatra. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in Tanjung Emas subdistrict, Tanah Datar regency, located near the town of Batusangkar, Indonesia.
Tanah Datar Regency is a landlocked regency (kabupaten) in West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The regency has an area of 1,336 km2, and had a population of 338,484 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 371,704 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 376,276 - comprising 188,551 males and 187,725 females. The regency seat is the town of Batusangkar. The city of Padang Panjang is also geographically located within the regency but constitutes a municipality of its own.
Batusangkar is the capital of the Tanah Datar regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is known as "the city of culture".
Daulat Yang Dipertuan Sultan Alam Bagagarsyah was the last king of the Pagaruyung Kingdom. He was the grandson of Sultan Alam Muningsyah. He had four brothers and sisters: Puti Reno Sori, Tuan Gadih Tembong, Tuan Bujang Nan Bakundi and Yang Dipertuan Batuhampar. Sultan Alam Bagagarsyah was appointed as regent of Tanah Datar after the Netherlands seized Pagaruyung from the Padri. Because of an alleged conspiracy against the Dutch, Bagagarsyah Sultan Alam was arrested and exiled to Batavia, where he died in 1849.
Rao Rao Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia located in Nagari Rao Rao, Tarab River, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra. It is located on the road from Batusangkar bound to Bukittinggi, precisely in Rao Rao. This mosque of Minangkabau and Persian architecture was built in 1908 with a roof made from fibers before being changed to zinc.
Michiels Monument was a monument in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The monument was erected in 1855 at the Michielsplein, in what is now Taman Melati, close to Adityawarman Museum. The monument was dedicated to Andreas Victor Michiels, subjugator of West Sumatra. The monument was demolished by the Japanese during World War II.
Islam is the most common religion in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, embraced by 97.42% of the population. The Muslim population increases to 99.6% if it excludes the Mentawai Islands, where the majority of the non-Muslim (Protestant) West Sumatrans reside. Islam in West Sumatra is predominantly Sunni, though there is a small Shia Islamic pocket within the coastal city of Pariaman. The Minangkabau people, indigenous to West Sumatra, comprise 88% of the West Sumatran population today and have historically played an important role within Indonesia's Muslim community. Up until today the region is considered one of the strongholds of Islam in Indonesia.
Tuanku Nan Tuo (1723–1830) or Tuan Ku Nan Tua was one of the leading Minangkabau ulamas. He was known as a wasatiyyah (moderate) cleric, who took syncretic approaches in the religious outlook, and was a Sufi and aspired for reformation and purification of Islam in the Agam region of West Sumatra at the same time. He also played a crucial role in the birth of Minangkabau Islamic reformers known as padri. Tuo however, disagreed with the more radically puritanical views espoused by padris including Tuanku Nan Renceh and Tuanku Imam Bonjol.
Tuanku Nan Renceh was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commanding figure highly regarded in Indonesia as a fighter against the Dutch colonialism in the battle known as the Padri War from 1803-1838. Not much is known about this figure, other than his charismatic status. He is also known for his commitment to upholding the Shari'a. From the Dutch record, he was considered an antagonist figure, who was responsible for the violence in the Plateau of Padang.
Tuanku Rao (1790-1833) was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commander. He was known as a prominent padri, a group of Islamic reformists who advocated for the puritanical approach in Islam inspired by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the early 18th century West Sumatra. He also contributed to the proselytization of Islam among Batak people. He died during the Padri War in 1833.
Saruaso II inscription, also previously known as Batusangkar inscription, is one of the inscriptions from the King Adityawarman era. It is currently located at the Fort van der Capellen area, in the courtyard of the old office of the Monuments Preservation Department, in Batusangkar city, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The inscription was previously displayed across in front of the Indo Jalito Building, which was the residence of the Regent of Tanah Datar during the Dutch colonial period. The inscription is written in Old Javanese script and Sanskrit language.
Kuburajo Inscription, also called Kuburajo I Inscription, is one of the many inscriptions left by King Adityawarman of central Sumatra. The inscription was found in Kuburajo village, Lima Kaum district, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia in 1877 besides the main road from Batusangkar city to Padang city. The inscription was registered by N.J. Krom in Inventaris der Oudheden in de Padangsche Bovenlanden. The inscription is written in Sanskrit, and consists of 16 lines. This inscription was lost in 1987, but was rediscovered.
Minangkabau culture is the culture of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, part of the Indonesian culture. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the Indonesian archipelago which is very prominent and influential.
Pagaruyung is a village in Tanjung Emas District, Tanah Datar, West Sumatra. From tambo sources, this country was formerly the capital of the Pagaruyung Kingdom.
Mahyuddin Datuk Sutan Maharadja was a Minangkabau journalist, intellectual, activist and newspaper editor active in the Dutch East Indies. He is considered to be one of the fathers of modern Indonesian journalism and was a key figure in West Sumatran politics from the 1890s to 1921.
Sheikh Sulaiman ar-Rasuli, known as Inyiak Canduang, was an Indonesian ʿālim and founder of Union of Islamic Education, a kaum tua (traditionalist) Islamic organization from West Sumatra. He was credited for popularizing the famous Minangkabau idiom, adat basandi syarak, syarak basandi Kitabullah.