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Etymology

The etymology of the name Malang is uncertain. One of the theory said that the name Malang is derived from the words Malangkuçeçwara which means "God has destroyed the false and enforced the right". The words were taken from an ancient term which mentions a legendary temple called Malangkuçeçwara, supposedly located near the city Malang. The word Malangkuçeçwara was applied as the motto of the city of Malang. The name "Malang" first appeared on the Pamotoh / Ukirnegara Inscription (1120 Saka / 1198 AD) which was discovered on 11 January 1975 by a Bantaran plantation administrator in Wlingi, Blitar Regency. In the copper inscription, one part is written (with the following translation) as follows.

Malang here refers to an eastern of Mount Kawi. Although it is known that the use of Malang has at least been going on since the 12th century, it cannot be ascertained the etymology of its territory.

The first hypothesis refers to the name of a holy building called Malangkuçeçwara (pronounced). The sacred building is referred to in two Balitung King inscriptions from Ancient Mataram, namely the Mantyasih Inscription in 907 AD and the Inscription of 908 AD. Experts still have not obtained an agreement on where the building is located. On the one hand, there are a number of experts who say that the Malangkuçeçwara building is located in the Mount Buring area, a mountain that stretches east of Malang, where one of its peaks named "Malang". Others, on the other hand, suspect that the actual location of the sacred building is in the Tumpang area, Malang Regency. In the area, there is a village called Malangsuka, which, according to historians, comes from the word Malangkuça (pronounced) which is pronounced upside down. This opinion is reinforced by the existence of ancient relics around Tumpang, such as Jago Temple and Kidal Temple, which are in the territory of the Kingdom of Singhasari.

The Malangkuçeçwara name consists of 3 words, namely mala, which means falsehood, cheating, falsehood, and evil, angkuça (pronounced which means to destroy or destroy, and içwara (pronounced) which means God. Therefore, Malangkuçeçwara means "God has destroyed the vanity".

The second hypothesis refers to the story of the assault of the Mataram Sultanate forces in Malang in 1614, led by Tumenggung Alap-Alap. According to folklore, there was a conversation between Tumenggung Alap-Alap and one of his assistants regarding the condition of Malang before the attack began. The assistant from Tumenggung Alap-Alap mentioned residents and soldiers from the area as residents who "blocked the halangi" ("Malang" in Javanese) from the arrival of Mataram troops. After the conquest, the Mataram forces named the area of the conquest as Malang.