Kutai is a historical region in what is now known as East Kalimantan, Indonesia on the island of Borneo and is also the name of the native ethnic group of the region, numbering around 300,000 who have their own language known as the Kutainese language which accompanies their own rich history. Today, the name is preserved in the names of three regencies in East Kalimantan province which are the Kutai Kartanegara Regency, the West Kutai Regency and the East Kutai Regency with the major river flowing in the heart of the region known as the Mahakam River. Kutai is known to be the place of the first and oldest Hindu kingdom to exist in East Indies Archipelago, the Kutai Martadipura Kingdom which was later succeeded by the Muslim Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate.
An ancient yūpa of Mulawarman, king of Kutai
A yūpa with inscription in the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta
The Lesong Batu stone located in Muara Kaman district, the remnants of the Kutai Martadipura kingdom
The golden crown of Kutai Sultan, part of the regalia of Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate. Collection of the National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta.
East Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census, 3.42 million at the 2015 census, and 3.766 million at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 4,030,488. Its capital is the city of Samarinda.
One of the oldest known figurative paintings, a depiction of a bull, was discovered in the Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave dated as over 40,000 (perhaps as old as 52,000) years old.
The ancient Yūpa inscription of Mulavarman, king of Kutai Martadipura dating back to the 4th century CE discovered in present Muara Kaman area, Kutai Kartanegara Regency
East Kalimantan Governor Office
Logging road in East Kalimantan: logged forest on the left, primary forest on the right
