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Tangkuban Perahu,
or Tangkuban Parahu in local sundanese dialect, is an active volcano
30 km north of the city of Bandung, the provincial capital of West
Java, Indonesia. It is a popular tourist attraction where tourists
can hike or ride to the edge of the crater to view the hot water
springs upclose, and buy eggs cooked on its hot surface. This stratovolcano
is on the island of Java and last erupted in 1983.
In April 2005 the Directorate of Volcanology and Geological Hazard
Mitigation raised an alert, forbidding visitors from going up the
volcano. "Sensors on the slopes of the two mountains - Anak
Krakatoa on the southern tip of Sumatra Island and Tangkuban Perahu
in Java - picked up an increase in volcanic activity and a build
up of gases, said government volcanologist Syamsul Rizal."
[2]
Local Legend of the Mountain
The name translates roughly to "upturning of (a) boat"
or "upturned boat" in Sundanese, referring to the local
legend of its creation. The story tells of "Dayang Sumbi",
a beauty who lived in West Java. She cast away her son "Sangkuriang"
for disobedience, and in her sadness was granted the power of eternal
youth by the gods. After many years in exile, Sangkuriang decided
to return to his home, long after the two had forgotten and failed
to recognize each other. Sangkuriang fell in love with Dayang Sumbi
and planned to marry her, only for Dayang Sumbi to recognize his
birthmark just as he was about to go hunting. In order to prevent
the marriage from taking place, Dayang Sumbi asked Sangkuriang to
(1) build a dam on the river Citarum and (2) build a large boat
to cross the river, both before the sunrise. Sangkuriang meditated
and summoned mythical ogre-like creatures -buta hejo or green giant(s)-
to do his bidding. Dayang Sumbi saw that the tasks were almost completed
and called on her workers to spread red silk cloths east of the
city, to give the impression of impending sunrise. Sangkuriang was
fooled, and upon believing that he had failed, kicked the dam and
the unfinished boat, resulting in severe flooding and the creation
of Tangkuban perahu from the hull of the boat.
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