With an area of 2,708.82 km2 (1,046 sq mi), it is the biggest and most important in the southeast region of East Preanger (Indonesian: Priangan Timur).

The regency is known as the city of Muslim students (kota santri),[5] with more than 800 traditional Islamic boarding schools (pesantren).

The eruption of Mount Galunggung created mountains, hills, and mounds of scattered sand in the formerly open region of Sukapura.

[10] According to the Geger Hanjuang inscription, the Kingdom of Galunggung was established on 13th Bhadrapada 1033 Shaka (21 August 1111), and Queen Batari Hyang was its first ruler.

Her famous teachings, known as Sang Hyang Siksakanda ng Kareksian, were still used as an official doctrine in the era of Prabu Siliwangi (1482–1521), the monarch of Pakuan Pajajaran.

After ten years of upheaval in the region of Priangan, the head of Sukakerta, Wirawangsa, was assigned as the Regent of Sukapura and honoured with a nobility name of Wiradadaha I by Sultan Agung of Mataram.

In 1832, under the governance of Wiradadaha VIII, the capital was moved to Manonjaya, but after some consideration, particularly economically, it was switched back to Tasikmalaya.

The inscription, as it tells, was made to mark the establishment of the Kingdom of Galunggung and the inauguration of its first sovereign, Queen Batari Hyang, on 21 August 1111.

The area is known for producing silk goods printed with batik, paper umbrellas, and handbags woven by hand from bamboo and pandanus leaves.

[citation needed] The regency was a major centre of early support and organization for Darul Islam, an Islamist group formed in 1948 to resist Dutch attempts to retake Java after World War II.

[16] It receives an average annual precipitation of 2.072 m.[17] Although it experiences heavy rainfall[16] the regency gets a considerable amount of heat.

To the interior—where the land is mostly hilly and characterised by tropical rainforests—waterfalls, natural hot springs, and archaeological sites are the most visited attractions.

[citation needed] Mount Galunggung's volcanic crater is scenic, featuring a lake surrounded by rainforests.

A number of natural hot springs are issued nearby the mountain, adding to the regency's tourist destinations.