Jatijajar Cave

Welcome to Jatijajar Cave

Jatijajar cave was naturally shaped out of limestone. It was discovered by a farmer namely Jayamenawi in 1802 A.D., when he was grassing then suddenly sunk into a hole. Some people lent a hand for him to come out of the hole by uncovering the thick grass covering the hole. Finally, they realized that the hole led to a cave which was assumed for having three ventilations on the wall.

The entire length of the cave is 250 meters, scattering from the entrance door to the way out. Not only that, the cave is 12 meters high, 15 meters square of width,10 meters of the canopy and situated at an altitude of 50 meters.

It was Suparjo Rustam – the Governor of Central Java -  who had an idea to develop Jatijajar Cave as a valuable tourism destination in 1975. The building process was conducted by CV. AIS, Yogyakarta, headed by Saptoto, a famous dioramic expert coming from Yogyakarta. After that, the further management was taken over by the local government of Kebumen.

A spurting-water dinosaur statue, in front of the cave, symbolizes the urgency of the cave. People entering the location will pass by the mouth of the statue. The spurting-water from the statue‘s mouth comes from the Kantil River and the Mawar River. It is believed that the water never dries up even in drought season. Often, the water is utilized for irrigating the people‘s farms.

Exploring into the cave, you will see the wondrous scenery of surrounding area. Flickering lamps lightening the entrance door to the way out, enhance the comfort of your visit. Thus you are not necessary to be afraid of the illumination inside the cave. Some holes on the wall of the cave function as ventilation so that the air circulation within the cave keep on stable. In the center of the cave, there is a circle stone for your seat when you are tired, so you can keep enjoying the beauty of the cave.

About eight dioramas with 32 effigies depicting the story of Raden Kamandaka (commonly known as the story of  Lutung Kasarung) – the son of Padjajaran King – who lived as an ascetic in the cave looking for divine inspiration, can be watch therein. He lived as an ascetic in Jatijajar Cave because the location, at the time, included into the territory of Padjajaran Kingdom (now West Java)  with Bogor (cited in Batutulis inscription) as the capital.

While the entrace door to the cave is the mouth of dinosaur statue, the way out of the cave is the tail of the statue. The distinction of the cave from other caves in Indonesia is the existence of four underground rivers (seven in other sources) listed below: the Mawar River, the kantil River, the Jombor River, and the Puser Bumi River. The Mawar River and the Kantil River flow through narrow fissures penetrating the wall to the way out. By washing our face by the water of the Mawat River, it is assumed for being able to make us stay young. And, washing our face by the water of the Kantil River can make our dreams come true. The last two underground rivers, the Puser Bumi River and the Jombor River are intentionally considered as sacred by the management of the cave. People who want ot explore those two underground rivers must have permission from the management first.

Jatijajar Cave Location

Jatijajar Cave lies in Jatijajar Village, Ayah Sub-district, Kebumen District, Central Java Province, Indonesia. It is about 21 km away southwetern direction of Gombong Sub-district. You can take either public or private transportation remembering the location of Jatijajar Cave can be easily accessed. For you taking public transportation, you need to take bus passing by Gombong – Jatijajar route from Gombong bus station.

Read More

Teluk Stabas Festival

Teluk Stabas Festival is commonly called Pesta Sekura (Sekura Party) or Pesta Topeng (Mask Party) by Lampung people. The festival is intentionally celebrated as an effort to reveal, to preserve, and to develop the heritage of Lampung people`s cultural civilization. It originally comes from Lampung society, especially West Lampung society that is visited by either local or foreign tourists. Moreover, the local government officials also include into the participants of the festival.

Sekura Dance is celebrated to express the happiness of Muslim people after a month of fasting. The celebration is held a day after Eid El-Fitr dated on Syawal 1st to 5th by turn from one village to another. Sekura means a mask intended to uniform the facial expression of people celebrating the happiness in a same way. The multifarious masks used during the celebration are the magnetic attraction for people coming to the Merdeka square in Liwa Limbar City.

There are two types of sekura dances, sekura betik and sekura kamak (dirty). It is called betik as the masks are beautifully decorated with long cloth. Otherwise, kamak is type of masks that are made of wood that look dirty with plant tassels as the decoration.

During the celebration, you may join the dance amongst the real dancers when you have put on the masks over your face. At the end of the celebration, panjat pinang (areca climbing) competition is conducted where many presents are put above the areca.  That is one of the cultural heritages of Lampung people with various cultural backgrounds.

Teluk Stabas Festival Location

Sekura Festival is held at public space area in Merdeka Square, Liwa-limbar City, West Lampung District, Lampung Province, Indonesia.

Read More

Lake Bakuok

Lake Bakuok

Representing a  tourist destination in Riau, Lake Bakuok is a tributary of Kampar River  forming an island-shaped delta. The lake‘s ring is about one kilometer, whose water  empties to Kampar River. The lake which is 1000 meters x 100 meters is a  protected area by customary law. The inhabitants in the vicinity of lake are  prohibited to catch fishes except in the mauwoo season when all people  go fishing collectively around the Ramadan month or on the commemoration of  Indonesian independence. Different from similar tradition of lubuk larangan found in West and North Sumatra where all  caught fishes are distributed equally for the fishers, the mauwoo tradition gives the fishers what they got.  

Within Bakuok Lake,  live different kinds of fishes such as patin fishes, baung and  other fresh water fishes. Besides, there is a special fish growing up in the  lakes which is motan fish. 

How to Access Lake Bakuok?

The lake is  situated in Aur Sati village, Tambang sub-dsitrict, Kampar district, Riau province,  Indonesia. Bakuok Lake is about 50 kilometers northwest of Pekanbaru city,  the capital of Riau province, Indonesia.  Its exact location is six kilometers from the highway. 

Read More