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| Tangkuban Parahu Mountain |
When seen from Bandung, the Tangkuban Perahu Mountain has a distinctive shape, like an upside down boat. The name of Tangkuban Perahu translates 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 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 called buto ijo or green giant, 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.
Tangkuban Perahu Mountain erupted in 1826, 1829, 1842, 1846, 1896, 1910,
1926, 1929, 1952, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1983 and 2013. It is a popular
tourist attraction where tourists can 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. This stratovolcano is on the island of Java and last erupted in
1983. Together with Burangrang Mountain and Bukit Tunggul Mountain, those are remnants of
the ancient Mount Sunda after the plinian eruption caused the Caldera to
collapse.The tephra layers within 3 km of the crater revealed that twenty one
were minor eruptions and the remaining nine were major eruptions. The eruptions
that occurred prior to approximately 10,000 years ago were
magmatic/phreatomagmatic.
Tangkuban Perahu Mountain volcano is still active until now, is
located 25 - 30 km north of the city of Bandung to the small town of Lembang. A
mix of natural beauty, popular fairy tales, and the easy access of Bandung make
Tangkuban Perahu in West Java as a tourist icon. Moreover, in this place
routinely held Culture and Tourism Festival Mount Tangkuban Perahu.
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| The View of The Crater |
The Tangkuban Perahu Mountain has three main crater
formations, namely: Crater Paguyangan Rhinos 90,000-40,000 years old, Volcanic
activity, then moved and formed a crater Upas at 40,000-10,000 years ago.
Lastly, the activity moves to Kawah Ratu, 10,000 years ago until now. Crater
Queen or Kawah Ratu contained in this mountain is an amazing sight and you can
explore the crater about 2 hours. Sulfur gas still out of the crater, although
not active. You should be careful, don't take too long to enjoy these great
views. The effect of sulfurous gas is to worsen the condition of people
suffering from asthma and other chronic lung disease. Asthma attacks can be
triggered and deaths brought forward in people with a severe form of pneumonia
and bronchitis, and heart disorder.
On
the very far western cliff we see a spot where all vegetation has been
destroyed by constantly rising sulfurous vapors. On the crater walls,
note the various layers of material consisting of rock, sand, and
pebbles. Over time, new craters have formed again and again in a rather
consistent shift from west to east. Facilities in Tangkuban Perahu
Crater are comfortable parking area, souvenir kiosks, and restaurants.
Whether
we look into the huge crater or hike down into it, stroll through the
forest on its slopes, or simply enjoy the splendid panoramic scenery.
Geologically, the Tangkuban Perahu Mountain has played a significant role
in the development of Parahyangan highlands. Eruptions have contributed
immensely to the hills north of Bandung through lava flowing into the
valleys and hardening into rock, thus forming big cliffs over which
waterfalls leap. Likewise, mud flows have formed a semi-circular cone of
gentle gradient (what geologists call "a fan"), which is now a mass
that blocked the valley of the ancient Citarum River near present day in
Padalarang (some 18 km west of Bandung), this caused a lake to form
covering the whole Bandung plain.
On the mountain's northern flank is an area called
Death Valley, so named for its frequent accumulation of poisonous gases. On a
reasonably clear day, from Kawah Ratu, the main crater, we can see not only the
mountain range to the east, with Bukittunggul Mountain as its highest peak (2,209
m), but also two others in a northeasterly direction. The lower and nearer one
is Tampomas Mountain (1,684 m) just north of Sumedang some 40 km away. To the
right and about 90 km away is Ciremai Mountain close to Cirebon on the north
coast. At 3,078 m, Ciremai Mount is West Java's tallest mountain. At the foot
of Tangkuban Perahu Mountain we see the Ciater tea plantation covering the rolling
hills. Farther to the left are the northern coastal plains of Java, and on an
extremely clear day we may even be able to see the Java Sea beyond.
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