The Legend of Sangkuriang

Sangkuriang is a legend among Sundanese people. The legend tells about the creation of lake Bandung. Mount Burangrang and Mount Bukit Tunggul. From the legend, we can determine how long Sundanese have been living in Java Island.

The legend supported by geological fact which predicted that Sundanese have been living in Java island since thousand years B.C. The legend of Sangkuriang was almost certainly a story of oral tradition before being written. The first written reference to Sangkuriang legend appeared in Bujangga Manik manuscript; written in palm leaves coming from the last of the 15 century or the early of the sixteenth century AD.

Prince Jaya Pakuan alias Prince Bujangga Manik or prince Ameng Layaran visited all of the holly Hindu sites in Java island and Bali sland at the last of the 15 century AD. Using palm leaves, he described his travel 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 at current Bandung 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)

Based on the legend, Sangkuriang had been separated by his mother, Dayang Sumbi, since his childhood. 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 loved each other and discussed their wedding plan. One day before the planned wedding, as Dayang Sumbi suddenly saw the scar on the head of Sangkuriang while Dayang Sumbi touch his hair. She realized she had been in love with her own son who had left her twenty years ago.

Horror stuck her, how could she marry her own son. She revealed the whole truth and persuade Sangkuriang to forget the marriage. But Sangkuring didn’t believe the truth and insisted at implementing the planned wedding.

Dayang Sumbi set the impossible conditions that she would marry Sangkuriang if he provide her with a great lake by filling the whole valley by water and build a boat for them to sail in, all in one night. Sangkuriang accepted the condition.

With the help of some guriangs (heavenly spirit / god in ancient Sundanese belief), he dammed Citarum river with landslides. The water of the river rose and filled the plain changing it into a lake. A big tree was cut to make a boat.

When the dawn was just to come, the boat was almost complete. Dayang Sumbi realized that Sangkuriang would fulfill the condition she had set. Then she prayed to the mighty God to help her preventing the disgrace of a marriage between a mother and a son. With a wave of her supernatural shawl, she lit up the eastern horizon with flashes of light. Deceived by false dawn, cocks crowed and farmers rose for the new day.

Sangkuring thought that his endeavour failed. With all his anger, he kicked the boat he was making. The boat felt over and upside down, and it become mount Tangkuban Parahu (in Sundanese, tangkuban means upturned or upside down, and parahu means boat). The file of leftover woods for the boat became Mt. Burangrang and the rest of the big tree became Mount Bukit Tunggul. Meanwhile the lake became lake Bandung.

Centuries later the inhabitants of Bandung city knew by tradition of the existence of a former lake Bandung and the establishment of Mount Tangkuban Parahu. Not knowing anything of geology, but living under the taboos of spirits, ghosts, and gods, geologic facts were put together in a tale which was understandable, according to popular beliefs.


Relevance with geological fact The story is relevance with the creation of Bandung 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 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 Bandung area far before 16000 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 philosophy of Sangkuriang"

The legend of Sangkuriang contains a philosophy enlighting (Sungging Perbangkara or sun) for anyone (plant Cariang) who is still doubt of his existence and wants to search his humanity identity / spirit (Wayungyang).

The result of this search will bear enlightened conscience (nurani) as real truth (Dayang Sumbi, Rarasati). But if the search was not accompanied by carefulness and awareness (toropong or binocular), then he will be mastered by continuing anxiety (mastered by Tumang) which will bear egos, that is the soul which has not been enlightened (Sangkuriang).

When the conscience annoyed again by the anxiety (Dayang Sumbi ate the heart of the Tumang) then the real awareness will lose. The compunction of the conscience is wreaked by beating arrogance of Ego Ratio (the head of Sangkuriang is beated). The arrogance also force the Ego Ratio to leave the conscience. And the arrogance of the Ego Ratio which despairingly seeks for science (intellectual intelligence) during its adventure in the world (eastward). At the end, the Ego Ratio returns westward consciously or unconscious seek for the conscience (the meeting of Sangkuriang and Dayang Sumbi). - (Taken From : Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia by Artofreed)

Reference Book :
Three Old Sundanese Poems . KITLV Press.
Koesoemadinata, R. The Origin and Pre-history of the Sundanese . Institute of Technology Bandung.

Koesoemadinata, R. P., "Asal Usul dan Prasejarah Ki Sunda", Sub
theme" "Bidang Kajian Sejarah, Arkeologi dan filologi", in Ajip Rosidi
et.al (editor: Edi S.Ekadjati and A.Chaedar Alwasilah)