Although he was not the eldest son, Dorodjatun was chosen by his father as heir to the throne. To anoint him as the crown prince of the Yogyakarta sultanate, his father gave him the royal heirloom-the Kiai Jaka Piturun kris. Before becoming Sultan, Dorodjatun heard whispers, which he believed to be the voices of his ancestors giving him guidance on how to deal with, among other issues, the problem of Dutch colonization