

Kyai Santoso Anom died in 1918 at a young age and left 7 children, thus the leadership of Pondok Gontor Lama was cut off.

The third generation leader of the pondok Kyai Santoso Anom Besari was married to Rr. At that time, Gontor was still covered in forest and was often used as a hideout for robbers, criminals, and rogues. Sulaiman Djamaluddin and his wife founded Pondok Gontor Lama in a place located ☓ km east of Tegalsari and 11 km to the southeast from the city of Ponorogo. Supported by 40 santris brought from Pondok Tegalsari, Kyai R.M. Kyai Hasan Khalifah then arranged the marriage of his youngest daughter Oemijatin (known as Nyai Sulaiman) with Sulaiman and they were given the task of establishing a new pesantren and the reformation of the pondok, which in later became a pesantren known as Pondok Gontor Lama. Sulaiman Djamaluddin, a descendant of the royal family based in Keraton Kasepuhan of Cirebon. At that time, the pondok had a renowned santri named R.M. In the mid-19th century, during the time of Kyai Hasan Khalifah, Pondok Tegalsari began to decline. The leadership of the pondok lasted for six generations.

Pondok Tegalsari was well known in its time and visited by thousands of santris (students of pesantren) from various regions in the archipelago. The forerunner of Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor began in the 18th century when Kyai Ageng Hasan Besari established Pondok Tegalsari in Jetis Ponorogo village of East Java (10 km to the south of the city of Ponorogo). The pesantren is considered a backbone of Muslim society in Indonesia, producing numerous leading figures of the history of Islam in Indonesia.

It also has been an educational institution known for not specifically tied to any political and social organization. Since its founding in 1926, the pesantren has become famous for the application of discipline, heavy emphasis of foreign languages ( Arabic and English), and strong network and cadre of alumni. Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor Ponorogo, also known as Pondok Modern Gontor, or abbreviated as PMDG, or simply Pesantren Gontor, is a pesantren (boarding school style Islamic seminary) in Ponorogo Regency, East Java, Indonesia.
