Editing Invasion of Java (1811) (section)

==Sepoy revolt==
The [[Bengalis|Bengali]] [[sepoy]] regiments stationed in Yogyakarta in 1815, inspired by the Hindu rituals of the [[Surakarta]] court and the glory of the Javanese temples of [[Prambanan]] and [[Borobodur]] planned a revolt against the British. This plot was conjured with the help of [[Pakubuwana IV|Sunan]] and the sepoys planned to kill all the British officers, overthrow European power, and install a Bengali administration over the whole island. In the end, the plan never came to fruition. As described by British officer Sir Stamford Raffles:

{{blockquote |text=the Hindus appear to have been gratified at discovering relics of their ancient religion and faith [in Java] and to have received without dislike a country in which they found themselves so much at home...the sepoys always pointed out that Java was the land of Brama. This they would say was the country in which their gods took delight; this must be the country described in their sacredbooks and not Hindustan, which, if ever the abode of the gods must have since been strangely altered, and that it was a sin and a shame that the land of Brama should remain in the hands of infidels |author= Sir Stamford Raffles}}

He further stated that this revolt would ultimately have led to the reestablishment of [[Hinduism]] in Java and the expulsion of European power

{{blockquote |text=The intimacy between this prince [Pakubuwana IV] and the Sepoys first commenced from his attending ceremonies of their religious worship, which was Hindu, and assisting them with several idols of that worship which had been preserved in his family. The conspirators availing themselves of the predilection of the prince for the religion of his ancestors, flattered him by addressing him as a descendant of the great Ráma [Rama], and a deliberate plan was formed, the object of which was to place the European provinces once more under a Hindu power. Had this plan been attended with success, it would probably have been followed by the almost immediate and general reconversion of the Javanese themselves to the Hindu faith |author= Sir Stamford Raffles}}

The Sunan of Surakarta took an avid interest in the [[Hindus|Hindu]] sepoys, and would attend [[Puja (Hinduism)|Pooja]] with the Bengalis, who prayed to Javanese idols which likely had not seen worship in centuries. He would also allow them to take part in his court, and use his facilities for worship and training.

{{blockquote |text=In Surakarta, however, the Sunan immediately responded to the sepoys’ overtures by lending them Hindu images from the court collections and by providing money for the decoration of the statues and to light up the ghāt (platforms) on which they were placed. He also attended various ceremonies inside the fort, usually alone and dressed as a common Javanese, but sometimes also accompanied by members of his family when he would arrive by carriage (Carey 1977:302). In return, the Sunan welcomed leading sepoy conspirators into his court, sitting with them in the evenings at the Randingan, the place set aside for archery practice in the kraton, where he would interrogate them on the manner and customs of India and watch their gymnastic displays (Carey 1977:303, 317 note 61). The sepoys also told him about the history of Bengal, the strength of the British army in India and their victories there, stressing that the power of the farang (British) was entirely dependant on their British-Indian troops<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/20133619 |title=The Kolkata (Calcutta) Stone and the Bicentennial of the British Interregnum in Java, 1811–1816 |last1=Carey |first1=Peter B. |journal=The Newsletter |number=74 |date=Summer 2016 |via=academia.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://brill.com/downloadpdf/book/9789067183031/B9789067183031-s009.pdf |title=Into a new era the British interregnum, 1812–1816}}</ref>}}