According to W. A. van Rees, the kotta mara has been known by the Banjarese for centuries. The first kotta mara encountered by European is from 1691, being mentioned in the book "
Hachelijke reys-togt van Jacob Jansz de Roy na Borneo and Atchin, in sijne vlugt of Batavia derwaards ondernomen in het jaar 1691 en vervolgens" as floating water castle (
drijvend Water-
Kasteel). Among the most famous encounter is the one from 27 July 1859. The Dutch learned in Pulau Petak that a preparation of attack was being made at Sungai Kayu and three fortified rafts were being prepared;
pembekkel (village chief) Soelil, who received his orders of
prince Antasari, intended to launch a new attack on Pulau Petak, in which the rafts (kotta mara) would occupy the
steamships, while the main attack with a large force on the land side would happen. On those occasions, the Celebes came to Pulau Petak and steamed (27 July) with the Tjipanas to the Sungai Kayu to stop the Banjar plan by an offensive act. They found (under the fire of new entrenchments) two kotta maras, one of which had not been completed. Only after a firefight of 4 hours could the rafts be taken over and dragged to Pulau Petak. The completed raft, which braved the fire of the 30-pounders for hours, was described by the Dutch in their report, mentioned earlier in this page. At August 3, the Dutch was informed that there was still a kotta mara in Tongoehan or Pulau Palangkie. Steamship Celebes then steamed the Kapuas river to Palangka on 5 August, without finding any trace of a
benting (Malay fort) or hostility anywhere. Second class sea lieutenant W. Steffens was sent in armed barkas on exploration, between Pulau Kanamit and the shore by rowing. After about half an hour, the officer returned and announced that the barkas had come across a kotta mara that filled the entire space of the passage, that large masses of people on that fortification had curiously stared at the barkas, without starting hostilities, and that it might be possible to get the Celebes backwards in the passage to shoot the kotta mara with the aftside 30-pounder cannon. Returning to Plankey in the evening, Mr. Maks informed that it would be impossible to enter the passage with the Celebes. In the morning at 8:15 on August 6, 1859, Celebes was anchored before the passage. The armed barkas Ardjoeno, under the command of sea Lieutenant Clifford Kocq van Breugel, protected the troops, and exchanged some rifle and
cartridge shot with the enemy hiding in the undergrowth. Finally the barkas came in the side of the kotta mara, releasing a cartridge shot from the 12-pound
carronnade, but with no effect; the shot fell like grains of sand along the poles of the kotta mara's parapet. The enemy shot guns on the sloops, but hastily left the fortification as soon as the steamship Celebes started to cooperate with the rear middle cannon. Probably it's because the Banjar and Dayak had been fighting with the Dutch's 30-pounder before, and at 35 ells (24.5 m) range the Banjar and Dayak didn't like it (because at this range the 30-pounder is able to penetrate the kotta mara). Then the armed sloop under the command of W. Steffens was sent to take over the fortification. At about 11 o'clock the Dutch flag flew on the kotta mara and in the evening at 9 o'clock this fortification has been dragged to Plankey. == See also ==