ABSTRACT
Jan Wisseman-Christie, one of the leading authorities on the economic and political history of Java, points out that numerous inscriptions testify to its presence in the ninth century. During the time of Srivijayan hegemony the most famous rulers of Central Java were the Sailendras, a lineage that from the eighth to the tenth century presided over the most majestic kingdom in Java. The indirect nature of the relationship of its elite to international traders did not inhibit in any way Central Java's inspired incorporation of religious beliefs and cultural trends emanating from India. Like most Central Javanese temples, it was built near a village on the bank of a river flowing from the Merapi-Perahu ranges, between hundred and four-hundred meters above sea level. In the heyday of Central Java, the elite lineages that managed the water boards were always important political actors. The straits region and Central Java thus lost their preeminence within the maritime realm.
