Sangkuriang
Encyclopedia
Sangkuriang is a legend among Sundanese people
, Indonesia
. The legend tells about the creation of lake Bandung
, Mount Tangkuban Parahu, Mount Burangrang and Mount Bukit Tunggul.
From the legend, we can determine how long the Sundanese
have been living in Java island. From the legend supported by geological fact, it is predicted that the Sundanese have been living in Java island since thousand years BC.
The legend of Sangkuriang was almost certainly a story of oral tradition before being written down. The first written reference to Sangkuriang legend appeared in the Bujangga Manik
manuscript written on palm leaves at the end of the 15th century or the early 16th century AD. Prince Jaya Pakuan, alias Prince Bujangga Manik
or prince Ameng Layaran, visited all of the sacred Hindu sites in Java island and Bali
island at the end of the 15th century AD. Using palm leaves, he described his travels in archaic Sundanese
. His palm manuscript was taken to England by an Englishmen and put at the Bodleian library, Oxford, in 1627.
After a long journey, Bujangga Manik arrived in the current Bandung
city area. He is the first eyewitness reported the area. Here is his report:
According to the legend, Sangkuriang had been separated from his mother, Dayang Sumbi, as a child. Yet he was destined to meet his mother again. On his way home, he stopped at a small village and met and felt in love with a beautiful girl. He didn't realise that the village was his homeland and the beautiful girl was his own mother. They fell in love and made plans to marry.
One day before the planned wedding, Dayang Sumbi saw and recognized a scar on Sangkuriang's head. She suddenly realized that she had fallen in love with her own son who had left her twenty years previously. She was horrified and realized she could not marry her own son. She revealed the whole truth to Sangkuriang and asked him to call off the wedding. But Sangkuriang didn’t believe her and insisted on going through with the wedding. Dayang Sumbi then told Sangkuriang that she would only marry him if he could build her a great lake by filling the whole valley with water. She said he must also build a boat for them to sail in, and both of these tasks must be completed in one night.
Sangkuriang accepted the challenge. With the help of some guriangs (heavenly spirits / god in ancient Sundanese belief), he dammed the Citarum river with landslides. The river's water rose and filled the plain, transforming it into a lake. Then Sangkuriang cut down a massive tree to make a boat.
When dawn was about to break, the boat was almost complete. Dayang Sumbi realized that Sangkuriang would fulfill the conditions she had required of him. So she prayed to God to help her prevent the disgrace of a marriage between a mother and her son. With a wave of her magic shawl, Dayang Sumbi lit up the eastern horizon with flashes of light. Deceived by what looked like dawn, cocks crowed and farmers rose for a new day.
Sangkuriang thought that he had failed. In his anger, he kicked the boat that he had built and it fell, turning upside down, transformed into Mount Tangkuban Parahu (in Sundanese, "tangkuban" means "upturned" or "upside down", and "parahu" means "boat.") The wood left over from the boat became Mt. Burangrang and the rest of the huge tree became Mount Bukit Tunggul. The lake became Lake Bandung (lit. "dam.")
Centuries later, the inhabitants of Bandung city knew from traditional lore of the existence of a former Lake Bandung and the creation of Mount Tangkuban Parahu. Without a knowledge of geology, but living under the taboos of spirits, ghosts and gods, geologic facts were woven together into a tale which was understandable according to their beliefs.
basin and Mount Tangkuban Parahu.
Recent geological investigations indicate that the oldest lake deposits has been radiometrically dated as old as 125 thousand years. The lake ceased to exist at 16000 Before present (BP).
There had been two Plinian type of eruptions of ancient Mount Sunda dated respectively at 105000 and 55000-50000 BP. The second plinian eruption has caused ancient Gunung Sunda’s caldera to collapse and create mount Tangkuban Parahu, Mount Burangrang (Mount Sunda), and Mount Bukit Tunggul.
It is more likely that the ancient Sundanese have lived in the Bandung area long before 16,000 years BP and witnessed the second Plinian eruption which wiped out settlements west of the Cikapundung river (north and northwest of Bandung) during the 55000-50000 eruption period when Mount Tangkuban Parahu was created from the remnants of ancient Mount Sunda. This era was the era of homo sapiens; they have been identified in South Australia as old as 62000 BP, while on Java the Wajak man has been dated about 50000 BP.
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The legend tells about the creation of lake Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, Mount Tangkuban Parahu, Mount Burangrang and Mount Bukit Tunggul.
From the legend, we can determine how long the Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
have been living in Java island. From the legend supported by geological fact, it is predicted that the Sundanese have been living in Java island since thousand years BC.
The legend of Sangkuriang was almost certainly a story of oral tradition before being written down. The first written reference to Sangkuriang legend appeared in the Bujangga Manik
Bujangga Manik
Bujangga Manik is one of the precious remnants of Old Sundanese literature. It is told in octosyllabic lines – the metrical form of Old Sundanese narrative poetry – in a palm leaf kept in the Bodleian Library in Oxford since 1627 or 1629...
manuscript written on palm leaves at the end of the 15th century or the early 16th century AD. Prince Jaya Pakuan, alias Prince Bujangga Manik
Bujangga Manik
Bujangga Manik is one of the precious remnants of Old Sundanese literature. It is told in octosyllabic lines – the metrical form of Old Sundanese narrative poetry – in a palm leaf kept in the Bodleian Library in Oxford since 1627 or 1629...
or prince Ameng Layaran, visited all of the sacred Hindu sites in Java island and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
island at the end of the 15th century AD. Using palm leaves, he described his travels in archaic Sundanese
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
. His palm manuscript was taken to England by an Englishmen and put at the Bodleian library, Oxford, in 1627.
After a long journey, Bujangga Manik arrived in the current Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
city area. He is the first eyewitness reported the area. Here is his report:
-
- Leumpang aing ka baratkeun (I walked forward to the west)
- datang ka Bukit Patenggeng (arriving at Mount Patenggeng)
- Sakakala Sang Kuriang (where the legend of Sang Kuriang is)
- Masa dek nyitu Ci tarum (in which he would dam Citarum river)
- Burung tembey kasiangan (he failed because a new day came)
According to the legend, Sangkuriang had been separated from his mother, Dayang Sumbi, as a child. Yet he was destined to meet his mother again. On his way home, he stopped at a small village and met and felt in love with a beautiful girl. He didn't realise that the village was his homeland and the beautiful girl was his own mother. They fell in love and made plans to marry.
One day before the planned wedding, Dayang Sumbi saw and recognized a scar on Sangkuriang's head. She suddenly realized that she had fallen in love with her own son who had left her twenty years previously. She was horrified and realized she could not marry her own son. She revealed the whole truth to Sangkuriang and asked him to call off the wedding. But Sangkuriang didn’t believe her and insisted on going through with the wedding. Dayang Sumbi then told Sangkuriang that she would only marry him if he could build her a great lake by filling the whole valley with water. She said he must also build a boat for them to sail in, and both of these tasks must be completed in one night.
Sangkuriang accepted the challenge. With the help of some guriangs (heavenly spirits / god in ancient Sundanese belief), he dammed the Citarum river with landslides. The river's water rose and filled the plain, transforming it into a lake. Then Sangkuriang cut down a massive tree to make a boat.
When dawn was about to break, the boat was almost complete. Dayang Sumbi realized that Sangkuriang would fulfill the conditions she had required of him. So she prayed to God to help her prevent the disgrace of a marriage between a mother and her son. With a wave of her magic shawl, Dayang Sumbi lit up the eastern horizon with flashes of light. Deceived by what looked like dawn, cocks crowed and farmers rose for a new day.
Sangkuriang thought that he had failed. In his anger, he kicked the boat that he had built and it fell, turning upside down, transformed into Mount Tangkuban Parahu (in Sundanese, "tangkuban" means "upturned" or "upside down", and "parahu" means "boat.") The wood left over from the boat became Mt. Burangrang and the rest of the huge tree became Mount Bukit Tunggul. The lake became Lake Bandung (lit. "dam.")
Centuries later, the inhabitants of Bandung city knew from traditional lore of the existence of a former Lake Bandung and the creation of Mount Tangkuban Parahu. Without a knowledge of geology, but living under the taboos of spirits, ghosts and gods, geologic facts were woven together into a tale which was understandable according to their beliefs.
Relevance with geological fact
The story is relevance with the creation of BandungBandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
basin and Mount Tangkuban Parahu.
Recent geological investigations indicate that the oldest lake deposits has been radiometrically dated as old as 125 thousand years. The lake ceased to exist at 16000 Before present (BP).
There had been two Plinian type of eruptions of ancient Mount Sunda dated respectively at 105000 and 55000-50000 BP. The second plinian eruption has caused ancient Gunung Sunda’s caldera to collapse and create mount Tangkuban Parahu, Mount Burangrang (Mount Sunda), and Mount Bukit Tunggul.
It is more likely that the ancient Sundanese have lived in the Bandung area long before 16,000 years BP and witnessed the second Plinian eruption which wiped out settlements west of the Cikapundung river (north and northwest of Bandung) during the 55000-50000 eruption period when Mount Tangkuban Parahu was created from the remnants of ancient Mount Sunda. This era was the era of homo sapiens; they have been identified in South Australia as old as 62000 BP, while on Java the Wajak man has been dated about 50000 BP.