Aria Wangsakara

Biography

The exact biography of Aria Wangsakara is difficult in certainty due to contradictory accounts appear in different texts, and lack of concrete evidences. The traditional narrative mentioned, as the Dutch East India Company influence grew in the region, Aria Wangsakara objected to his family's collaboration with the company and left Sumedang with two relatives in 1632, Aria Santika and Aria Yuda Negara. They went to a region on the banks of the Cisadane River, known today as Tangerang, where he was granted an authorization to protect the region by Sultan Abu al-Mafakhir of Banten.

Legacy Due to his status as the legendary founder of Tangerang, a major street in the city is named after him, . His tomb , which is also surrounded by the tombs of other clerics from the region, was also turned into an official historical site by the Tangerang Regency and has long been visited regularly by pilgrims. Many residents of Banten also claim descent from him, including a number of Ulama who claim descent from him and his original group of followers. In November 2021, along with Tombolotutu, Aji Muhammad Idris, and Usmar Ismail, he was declared a National Hero of Indonesia by Indonesian president Joko Widodo.