Kotawaringin Lama

Kotawaringin Lama was the old royal seat of Kotawaringin on the east bank of the Lamandau River in southwestern Borneo. The river linked the court with inland country and the maritime world beyond its mouth. Its name, also written Kutaringin, belonged to a political landscape shaped by close relations with the Banjar kingdom.

Local ruling traditions identify Pangeran Adipati Antakesuma, a son of Sultan Mustain Billah of Banjar, as the founder of the dynasty. A history published by Indonesia's cultural preservation service places his reign in 1615–1630. The first eight rulers governed from Kotawaringin Lama; later rulers established their seat at Pangkalan Bun, remembered as Kotawaringin Baru. Islam gained influence through the court and its connections with Banjarmasin, with a marked advance associated with the third ruler, Panembahan Anom. These ties shaped offices and political customs as well as religious life. The old riverside capital therefore preserves the earlier phase of a Bornean court whose authority grew through dynastic connection and the adoption of Malay Islamic institutions.