Throughout historical records, the oldest known kingdom in the Ponorogo Regency area was the Wengker Kingdom, established around 900 AD. Its existence is mentioned in the Pucangan Inscription, written by Airlangga in 1041 AD (963 Saka). This inscription describes the state of the Wengker Kingdom before Airlangga’s reign.
The Wengker Kingdom was founded by Ketut Wijaya, a descendant of a king from Mataram Hindu (Medang, Central Java), who migrated to the Ponorogo region. Ketut Wijaya and his followers moved to Ponorogo after the “Pralaya Mataram” (924–929 AD). It is widely believed that this calamity was caused by the eruption of Mount Merapi, which destroyed the Mataram capital during the reign of Dyah Wawa.
Upon arriving in Ponorogo, Ketut Wijaya established the Wengker Kingdom. The name “Wengker” is often interpreted through Javanese kerata basa (wordplay) as Wewengkon kang Angker, meaning "a mysterious or fearsome region." At that time, the region was considered fearsome due to its difficult-to-reach terrain and the presence of numerous bandits.
The Wengker Kingdom’s territory stretched from Mount Wilis in the east to Mount Lawu in the west, and the Seribu Mountains in the south. Under Ketut Wijaya’s leadership, which began in 986 AD, the people of Wengker lived in peace, order, and prosperity.
Ketut Wijaya’s rule over the Wengker Kingdom ended in 1037 AD, when he was defeated by Airlangga, the King of Kahuripan. Airlangga’s conquest of Wengker was an act of retaliation, as Wengker had allied with Sriwijaya and Lwaram (Wura Wari) in attacking Medang. It is worth noting that Airlangga was a descendant of Mpu Sindok, the first king of Medang in East Java.