Legend
of Tangkuban Perahu
Once upon a time in west Java,
Indonesia lived a wise king who had a beautiful daughter. Her name was Dayung
Sumbi. She like weaving very much. Once she was weaving a cloth when one of her
tool fell to the ground. She was very tired at the time she was so lazy to take
it. Then she just shouted out loud, “Anybody there? Bring me my too. I will
give you special present. If you are female, I will consider you as my sister.
If you are a male, I will marry you.”
Suddenly a male dog, its name is
Tumang, came. He brought he the falling tool. Dayang Sumbi was very surprised.
She regretted her words but she could not deny it. So she had to marry Tumang
and leave her father. Then they lived in a small village. Several months later
they had a son. His name was Sungkuriang. He was a handsome and healthy boy.
Sangkuriang liked
hunting very much. He often went hunting to the woods using his arrow. Every
time he went hunting Tumang was always with him. In the past there was a lot of deers in Java so Sangkuriang often hunted for deers.
One day Dayang Sambi wanted to have a
deer’s heart so she asked Sangkuriang to hunt for a deer. Then Sangkuriang went
to the woods with his arrow and his faithful dog Tumang. After several days in
the woods Sangkuriang could not find any deer. They were all disappeared.
Sangkuriang was exhausted and desperate. He did not want to disappoint his
mother so he killed Tumang. He did not know that Tumang was his father. At home
he gave Tumang’s heart to his mother.
But Dayang Sumbi knew
that it was Tumang’s heart. She was so angry that she could not control he
emotions. She hit Sangkuriang at his head. Sangkuriang was wounded. There was a
scar in his head. She also repelled he son, Sangkuriang left his mother in
sadness.
Many years passed and
Sangkuriang became a strong young man. He wandered everywhere. One day he
arrived at his own village but he did not realized it. Then he met Dayang
Sumbi, at the time Dayng Sumbi was given an eternal beauty by god so she stayed
young forever. Both of them did not know each other. So they fell in love and
then decided to marry.
But then Dayang Sumbi recognized a scar
in Sangkuriang’s head. She knew that Sangkuriang was her son. It was impossible
for them to marry. She told him but he did not believed her. He wished that
they would marry soon. So Dayung Sumbi gave him a very difficult condition. She
wanted Sangkuriang to build a lake and a boat in one night! She said that she
needed that for the honeymoon.
Sangkuriang agreed. With the help of genies and
spirits Sangkuriang tried to build them. By midnight he had finished the lake
by building a dam in Citarum river. Then he started building the boat. It was
almost dawn when he nearly finished it. Meanwhile Dayang Sumbi kept watching on
them. She was very worried when she knew this. So she made lights in the east.
Then the spirits thought that it was already dawn. It was time for them to
leave. Sangkuriang was very angry. He kicked the boat. Then the boat turned to
be Mount Tangkuban Perahu. It means boat upside down.
