Sejarah : 泗水 Sìshuǐ, Bingkai Budaya Tionghoa Surabaya

Rajapatni.com: SURABAYA – The name of the Kalimas river is not foreign to the people of Surabaya. This river divides the city of Surabaya, West and East.

But the name Pa-Tsih-Kan (Pacekan) is certainly still too foreign for the citizens of Surabaya. Although Pacekan was in fact once in the administrative area of ​​Surabaya. It was once written on a map of Surabaya. But now it is gone (deleted). Who knows why?

But for the citizens, especially those who know the history of the city of Surabaya, the name Pacekan may not be foreign. But not all citizens who know the history of the city, know and understand the name Pacekan.

Pacekan is an area, located in the Delta area between Kali Surabaya and Kalimas River. Its location is in the Ngagel Tirta area, where there is a water treatment installation for PDAM Surabaya City since the 1920s, Gemeente Waterleiding (GWL).

In Groeneveld’s 1876 notes, Pa-Tsih-Kan is the Surabaya River. “Pa-Tsih is the river of Surabaya, at present called Brantas or Kalimas”, wrote Groeneveld.

“The Chinese text gives this river as Pa-Tsih-Kan, the small river of Pa Tsich” (Groenneveld 1876).

While Chinese records call this river Pa-Tsih-Kan, the small Pa-Tsih river.

In old maps of Surabaya, the river that enters Surabaya is written as Kali Surabaya. Not Kalimas. Now the river that turns north in Ngagel is called Kalimas. So, in fact Kalimas and Kali Surabaya are the same, one flow leading to the estuary.

The Kalimas River, which originally flowed into Lamong Bay, not Perak because the straight canal from the Red Bridge was only built in the 1800s, is a small river that can only be navigated by small boats.

Therefore it is called Pat Tsih Kan, the small Pat Tsih river, and when the name Pacekan appeared in the south (Ngagel area), it could be that the area was named Pacekan because it followed the name of the Pat Tsih river.

Pacekan is thought to come from the word Pa Tsih Kan.

“Pa-Tsih is the river of Surabaya, at present called Kalimas”. (Groenneveld 1876).

Groeneveld in his book “Notes in the Malay Archipelago and Melacca” (1876), which quoted Chinese notes, became the reference and historical source for the historical book on the Anniversary of the City of Surabaya “682 Years of Soera ing Baja” (1975).

The Pat Tsih River (Kalimas), although small, was an important route for the Mongols (13th century) and Admiral Cheng Ho (15th century) to reach the capital of the Majapahit Kingdom.

In the notes of Mahuan, Cheng Ho’s scribe, then from there (Gresik), if you sail south for more than 20 li (12 km), you will arrive at Su-lu-ma-yi. The place was named Su-er-ba-ya (Surabaya) by the locals. There was a village head there. He managed the population of 1000 families. Among them, there were also Chinese people.

From the place where the ship stops (drops anchor), small boats are lowered to travel along the river to Surabaya and Canggu.

Meanwhile, Groeneveld also wrote: “First, ships reached Tuban, next Gresik, and then Surabaya, the terminus for large ships (ed: allegedly Teluk Lamong because Tanjung Perak did not exist yet), whence the journey was made in small ships to Canggu, and thence overland to Majapahit, the capital”. Kara Groeneveld in the book “Notes in the Malay Archipelago and Melacca” which cites Chinese sources.

So between Teluk Lamong (Surabaya waters) which is a stopover for large ships, and 泗水 Sìshuǐ (Surabaya) there is a small river. This small river is Pat Tsih Kan alias Kalimas (Surabaya River). (PAR/nng)