Tangkuban Parahu is a stratovolcano
30 km north of the city of Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java,
Indonesia. It erupted in 1826, 1829, 1842, 1846, 1896, 1910, 1926, 1929, 1952,
1957, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1983, 2013 and 2019. It is a popular tourist
attraction where tourists hike or ride to the edge of the crater to view the
hot water springs and boiling mud up close, and buy eggs cooked on the hot
surface. Together with Mount Burangrang and Bukit Tunggul, it is a remnant of
the ancient Mount Sunda after the plinian eruption caused the Caldera to
collapse.
A study conducted in 2001 determined
that Tangkuban Perahu has erupted at least 30 times in the previous 40,750
years. Studies of the tephra layers within three kilometres of the crater
revealed that 21 were minor eruptions and the remaining were significant
eruptions. The eruptions that occurred prior to approximately 10,000 years ago
were magmatic/phreatomagmatic, and the ones that occurred after 10,000 years
ago were phreatic. The volcano erupted as recently as 26 July 2019. On 2 August
2019, the volcano experienced eight minor eruptions, and as a result, the place
was closed down for visitors, but is open again.
Based on legend, Tangkuban Perahu 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
recognise each other. Sangkuriang fell in love with Dayang Sumbi, his mother,
and planned to marry her, only for Dayang Sumbi to recognise his birthmark just
as he was about to go hunting. To prevent the marriage from taking place,
Dayang Sumbi asked Sangkuriang to build a dam on the river Citarum and to build
a large boat to cross the river, both before the sunrise. Sangkuriang meditated
and summoned mythical ogre-like creatures -buto ijo 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.
Administratively, Mount Tangkuban Perahu
is situated in the Cikole Village, Lembang District, West Bandung Regency. The
volcano is located on the border between West Bandung Regency and Subang
Regency. To enter Tangkuban Perahu area, you have to pay a ticket of Rp. 13,000
per person plus a ticket for the vehicle
Tangkuban Perahu is a 90 minutes
drive from Bandung on weekdays. The easiest way to get there is by joining a
tour or rent a car. However, if you’re up to take an adventurous journey, you
may take a Subang Colt via Lembang from Bandung’s minibus terminal in front of
the train station to the park entrance of Tangkuban Perahu. There are
minibuses, which lead you to the top. Alternatively, you can walk from the gate
at the main road. It’s 4,5 km hike along the road or you can take the more
interesting side trail that goes via Crater Domas. It’s a very steep one-hour
walk through the jungle and better tackled from the top down. It starts just
behind the information center and is easy to follow.
There are two paths to the craters on
this mountain. The first road or the old road with road conditions that are
more difficult to pass and will usually be closed after rain or when it feels
dangerous to pass. The ticket window guard will give directions to take the new
road that is further up if the road is closed. Before the payment ticket on
this first street, there were lodges for rent for lodging.
Passing a new road, a paved road
makes it easy for your vehicle to travel. On the side of the winding road there
are trumpet flowers and other trees that will cool your journey. In the Tangkuban
Perahu mountain area there are three interesting craters to visit. The craters
are Domas Crater, Queen Crater and Upas Crater. The biggest crater among the
three and the most visited is Queen crater (Queen Carter). With a few hours
walk, you can even go around the vast Crater of the Queen while enjoying the
panoramic beauty of Mount Tangkuban Perahu.
QUEEN CRATER
If you arrive by bus, there is a
special bus parking space before reaching Queen Crater. The journey continues
with a car that will take you to Queen crater. However, if you use a private
vehicle, you can continue to use it up to Queen crater. Vehicle parking is
available opposite this crater, so without going through difficult terrain and
consuming a lot of energy, you can see this crater. Maybe this is also one of
the reasons, most visitors are in this crater. Queen crater is directly visible
from above with a wooden fence to prevent visitors from falling. Seeing the
depth of the crater, the walls of the crater and smoke that still comes out of
this crater creates a thrilling view. The soil around Queen crater is generally
white with some yellow sulfur stones. The rocks and the dry and arid atmosphere
felt in this crater. You can try to climb to a higher area if you want to see
the entire Queen crater area. In this
place a lot of simple shops that sell various souvenirs such as scarves,
skullcaps, bags and fur hats, various wooden displays and various other
accessories. There are also sellers of food and hot drinks such as boiled
noodles, bandrek and others. You can also ride a horse around this part of the
crater. This activity is usually liked by children.
Upas Crater is located next to Queen
crater. However, to be able to see this crater must go through dangerous
terrain, you must pass through a sandy road to reach this crater. So, very
rarely visitors who come to see this crater. The shape of Upas Crater is
different from Queen Crater. Upas Crater is shallower and horizontal.
Domas Crater is located lower than Queen
crater. If you come through a new road, you will find the gate to Domas Crater
first before heading to Queen crater. If in Queen crater you will only see the
crater from a distance, in the Domas Crater, you can be closer to the crater.
In fact, you can try boiling eggs by putting them in the crater. If you want to
see Domas Crater past 16.00 WIB, you are required to use the services of a tour
guide.
The trees that are often seen around
the crater are trees called by local residents by the name of Manarasa. The
leaves of this plant will turn reddish if the leaves are old. Red leaves can be
eaten with a taste similar to guava leaves with a slightly sour taste. This
leaf can treat diarrhea and is believed to make young. Perhaps this leaf is
believed by the surrounding community to be eaten by Dayang Sumbi who is
ageless in the legend of the Tangkuban Perahu Mountain.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangkuban_Perahu
https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/destinations/java/bandung/tangkuban-perahu
https://bijb.co.id/content/mount-tangkuban-perahu
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