669 - 1579 M
After the decline of Tarumanagara, political authority in Tatar Sunda developed into two major centers: the Sunda Kingdom and the Galuh Kingdom. The Citarum River is often understood as a symbolic boundary between these two domains of power. Over time, these two entities underwent a process of unification and formed the political foundation of classical Sunda.
The height of the Sunda Kingdom’s glory is often associated with the reign of Sri Baduga Maharaja, also known as Prabu Siliwangi, who ruled from Pakuan Pajajaran in the Bogor region. During this period, Pajajaran developed as both an agrarian and maritime kingdom. Its key commodity was pepper, which made Sunda well known in international trade from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries.
The economic strength of Pajajaran gave coastal areas such as Sunda Kelapa significant strategic value. As the Demak Sultanate and Islamic coastal powers began to expand, Pajajaran established diplomatic relations with the Portuguese. The Sunda-Portuguese Treaty of 1522 serves as evidence that the kingdom actively sought international alliances to defend its political and commercial interests.
However, in 1527, Sunda Kelapa fell to Fatahillah and was renamed Jayakarta. This event became a major blow to Pajajaran. Eventually, in 1579, Pakuan Pajajaran collapsed under pressure from the Banten Sultanate. The fall of Pajajaran marked the end of the classical era of the Hindu-Buddhist Sundanese kingdom.