The City of Watan Soppeng: a City of Bats

Watan Soppeng City

Watan Soppeng is one of the most beautiful sub districts in South Sulawesi. This city is so shady for the many trees growing on each side of the streets. Its air is chilly since it locates on a mountainous are which is 200 meters above the sea level.

Lontara Bugis (the ancient manuscript of the Bugis) notes that Soppeng is historically a city of a prosperous and powerful kingdom. There is a palace of the king (Datu) in this housing complex which was built in 1261 C. E by I Latemmamala who was entitled as Petta Bakkae. There are also a number of buildings in the complex, they were: Bola RidiE (Rumah Kuning) which was for storing the attributes of the Soppeng Kingdom; SalassaE which is the ruin of the palace of the Datu; and Menhir Latammapole which was the place to punish those who broke the law of the adat (the customary law). The Jera LompoE and KalokoE Watu, a cemetery, can also be found here. The Jera LompoE is the cemetery of the Kings (Datu) of Soppeng, Luwu and Sidrap in the 17th century. Meanwhile, the tomb of We Tenri Sui, Arung Palakka`s mother, is at KalokoE Watu.

The Bats Community in Watan Soppeng

The city of Soppeng is so unique that people address it as “Kota Kalong” or “Kota Pekalongan” (it is not the same as Pekalongan city in Central Java). The visitors will directly sense a strong smell as they enter the heart of Watan Soppeng. It is the smell of the bats which are in that area. The smell will be even stronger when people stand exactly under the trees where the bats are hanging.

Those bats will leave the trees during the nights for foods. Thousands of them will fly covering the sky in the darkness from their wings. A sound of thunder from thousands of bats moving their wings alarms the people of Soppeng to begin their daily life as the bats return to the trees when the dawn comes.

Not even a single person in that area is sure when exactly those bats start settling in the trees on the sides of the streets of Watan Soppeng. People only believe that the animals, which look similar to mousse, have been there since hundreds of years ago. People also believe that those bats are “the guardians” of the city of Watan Soppeng. They even believe that the bats are sign to inform the villagers of anything bad or good that will happen in the city. It is believed that a disaster is about to come when the bats leave the city for quite long time. People believe that the burnt of the Soppeng`s Central market in 1990 was because of the cutting down of the trees where the kings and leaders of the bats used to stay. People no longer dare to annoy them since that moment. A ceremony, where a buffalo was slaughtered, was once held to invite the bats to come back to the city. However, it took quite a long time before they finally came and re-settled there.

There is also a myth spread among the villagers that when someone is hit by the dung of the bats, the person will marry a woman or man from the city. Are you curious about the myth? Come to Watan Soppeng and prove it by yourself!.

Where Watan Soppeng Location?

The city of Watan Soppeng is the capital of Soppeng sub district, South Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The city of Watan Sopeng is 150 kilometers northward of Makassar city. It takes four to five hours from Makassar by private cars or public transportations, which costs around Rp. 40.000 per person. There are many facilities available for visitors in Watan Soppeng such as food stalls, restaurants, inns, motels, hotels, and villas. There is also a wonderful Raya Soppeng Mosque in the center of the city which is far from the trees where bats usually hang on.