Legend of Tangkuban Perahu

bandung pos

In ancient times in Parahyangan West Java, there lived a princess who was very beautiful  named Dayang Sumbi. In addition to beautiful, she is also good at cooking and weaving. Because of her beauty, so many princes and kings  wanted her to be their wife.
Fearing that there would be bloodshed caused by fighting her, so Dayang Sumbi begged her father to stay calm herself in a house on the edge of the woods.
On a day when Dayang Sumbi was  weaving, her weaving yarn falling down from her house. Because high, she did not dare to take it. Then she began to say to herself: if there is someone who can help take the yarn, if a man, he would be her husband.

Without realizing it at the same time a coyote passed by. The animal helped Dayang Sumbi  to take the fall thread. Apparently the dog was an incarnation of god. He turned into a handsome man. Dayang Sumbi short falls in love and as she had promised to marry the man. But they decided to keep it a secret. Dayang Sumbi named the dog Tumang . Tumang who then accompanied Dayang Sumbi everywhere.

Then Dayang Sumbi has a son named Sangkuriang. Sangkuriang grow into young man healthy and smart hunting. Everyday Tumang always faithful to accompany him play.

One day Sangkuriang go hunting because his mother wanted to cook deer liver. But he failed to catch a deer. So he told Tumang to get it, but Tumang just stay quiet not obey. Until a few times Sangkuriang told Tumang but Tumang remains not to implement.

In desperation, then Sangkuriang archery the deer but without  intentional bow on head Tumang to death. Sangkuriang very sorry his dog died. He did not know if the dog is in fact his father. Before returning home, he took the dog's heart to give to his mother.

Dayang Sumbi receive the deer heart and immediately cook it. Then they eat together. When finished eating, Dayang Sumbi asking where Tumang why until night had not yet returned.  Sangkuriang explain to his mother the truth. Predictably, Dayang Sumbi very angry. But Dayang Sumbi not explained to him who the real Tumang. Because she could not control herself, Dayang Sumbi hit his head with a ladle and injured.

Feeling his mother did not love him anymore, Sangkuriang away with head covered in blood. He was discovered by a hermit lying unconscious in the woods. Hermit named him Jaka, because Sangkuriang can not remember anything about him. Then he taught martial arts and magic that can make Sangkuriang be mastered of spirits.

Meanwhile, Dayang Sumbi deeply regretted what she had done against Sangkuriang. Over the years she has always hoped her son back. Dayang Sumbi never gets old, but still young and beautiful.

One day Sangkuriang said goodbye to his teacher to go looking for experience elsewhere. Along the way he felt  thirst and then he stopped at a house on the edge of the woods to ask for some water to drink.

Turns out the house is home Dayang Sumbi, but mother and son did not know each other. Sangkuriang very fascinated with the beauty of a woman who was in front of him. Instead, Dayang Sumbi stunned look dashing and handsome young man who met her. In short, the two fell in love and decided to marry.

But one day accidentally Dayang Sumbi see the scars on the heads of man who called Jaka's. He remembered his son Sangkuriang. When it was asked in the young man, he says do not remember the cause. It's just a hermit found him many years ago in the woods with a severe head injury.
Dayang Sumbi shocked. She believes the man who almost became her husband it was his son, Sangkuriang. She thought hard to prevent the marriage occurred. Then she gave a heavy requirement to Sangkuriang, if he really want to marry her, to make a boat and a lake in one night. Sangkuriang agreed.

Sangkuriang started working immediately, he also put all spirits to help him. He built Citarum river dam to create a lake and cut down a tree to make a boat.

Dayang Sumbi fear, knowing Sangkuriang almost completed his work. Then she also tried to thwart. She asked residents to help spread the cloth of red silk brocade results in the east of the Sangkuriang are, so that from a distance look of redness. The the roosters crowed thought the sun had risen and the creatures  fled because they thought it was morning.

Sangkuriang very angry because knowing has been duped by Dayang Sumbi. Angrily he dismantle the dam that has been made thus causing a huge flood and kicked the boat almost finished up and thrown away and it fell reversed.

Boat crash site later became a mountain. Shaped like an upside down boat so called Tangkuban Perahu (in Sundanese, Tangkuban = reverse parahu = boat).

FACTS

Tangkuban Perahu is located approximately 30 km to the north Bandung capital of West Java province. Tangkuban Perahu volcano formed 11 thousand years ago as a parasitic volcano crater of an ancient volcano Sunda. Sunda is a large ancient volcano. Its large diameter around 2 km and high  around 3000 meters above sea level.

Tangkuban Perahu shape is stratovolcano with high 2084 masl. Tangkuban Perahu is an of active volcano which status is monitored continuously by the Indonesian Directorate of Volcanology.

From the topographic view, Bandung area is like a basins which on each side surrounded by hills and mountains. It strengthens the theory that the Bandung district in the past is a very large lake.

This lake was formed by a volcanic eruption about 6000 years ago - in a more modern research it is believed that the ancient lake was formed about 135 years ago - a result of damming the river Citarum . The recognized expert geologists believe that the Bandung plateau, 720 meters above sea level, is formed from the remaining large lake formed by the eruption Sunda Volcano. And Tangkuban Perahu volcano is Mount Sunda which is still active.

At the present time - in safe condition - Tangkuban Perahu volcano tour is in great demand by local and foreign tourists. It is in the town of Lembang about 45 minutes by car from Bandung. Temperatures average 17 ^◦ C at day and 2 ^◦ C at night. Tourists generally hike to its summit to enjoy the natural scenery around and of course see the beautiful crater.
http://www.shvoong.com/writers/yaniear11