Indonesian Folklore " Sangkuriang"

The Legend of  “Sangkuriang”

 

 

It is said that there was a child named Sangkuriang in a village. He often goes to the forest to hunt. Once, he saw a bird perched on a tree. Then he shot it and hit the target.

Tumang was told to take it but Tumang carried out his orders. This of course made Sangkuriang angry and did not allow Tumang to come home. After arriving home, he told the incident to his mother. His mother immediately got angry and beat him.

This is what makes Sangkuriang decide to leave the house and wander. His mother regretted doing this to her son. He always prayed that one day he would be reunited with his son. His prayer was finally answered and he was given a beautiful and youthful face.

After wandering for a long time, Sangkuriang returned to his hometown. Seeing the many changes that had taken place in his hometown took him by surprise. While on the way he met his mother, Dayang Sumbi. However, Sangkuriang did not know that the woman was his mother.

He immediately proposed and asked the woman to marry with Dayang Sumbi's approval, of course. One day, Dayang Sumbi was asked by Sangkuriang to tighten the knot on his head. Dayang Sumbi saw the same scar like the one on her son's head.

Ever since she found out, Dayang Sumbi wanted to make their wedding plans fail. He said that Sangkuriang was his son and Sangkuriang did not believe it. In the end, Dayang Sumbi asked for 2 conditions to be fulfilled by Sangkuriang.

The two conditions are damming the Citarum river and making a canoe that must be finished before dawn. Sangkuriang obeyed Dayang Sumbi's request and asked for the help of his friends, namely the genies, to complete what Dayang Sumbi asked. He supervised the performance of Sangkuriang.

He was surprised to see Sangkuriang able to complete the challenge that Dayang Sumbi gave. Dayang Sumbi is looking for away. He asked for help from residents to thwart what was done by Sangkuriang. He and the residents held a red silk cloth in the eastern part of the city. So, it was as if the time of dawn had arrived.

Because he could not complete the challenge, Sangkuriang felt disappointed and also annoyed. Then the dam that he had made before burst. There was a flood that eventually drowned the city. He also kicked a canoe that he had made.

The canoe fell face down and turned into a mountain with the name Tangkuban Perahu Mountain.