Lutung Kasarung

Prabu Tapa Agung had led a kingdom in West Java for a long time. He was getting old and
therefore wanted to choose a successor. But unfortunately, he had no son. He thought of
choosing one of his daughters, Purbararang and Purbasari. But it wasn’t an easy choice. They
were both very pretty and smart. The only difference was their temperament. Purbararang was
rude and dishonest, while Purbasari was kind and caring. With those considerations, Prabu Tapa
Agung finally chose Purbasari to be his successor.

Purbararang didn’t agree with her father’s decision. “It’s supposed to be me, Father. I’m the
eldest daughter!” Purbararang said. Prabu Tapa Agung smiled. “Purbararang, to be a queen takes
more than age. There are many other qualities that one must possess,” explained Prabu Tapa
Agung wisely. “What does Purbasari have that I don’t?” Purbararang pouted. “You’ll find out
when Purbasari has replaced me,” Prabu Tapa Agung answered.

After the discussion, Purbararang went back to her room. “Is there something wrong?” asked
Indrajaya. Indrajaya is Purbararang’s future husband. “I’m upset! Father chose Purbasari as his
successor and not me! I have to do something!” Purbararang said. Driven mad by her anger, she
came to a witch and asked her to send rash all over Purbasari’s body. Before going to bed,
Purbasari started to feel itch all over her body. She tried applying powder to her body, but it’s no
use. Instead, the itching grew even worse. She didn’t want to scratch it, but she just couldn’t help
it. In the next morning, there were scratch mark all over Purbasari’s body. “What happened to
you?” asked Purbararang, pretending to be concerned. “I don’t know, sis. Last night, my body
suddenly felt very itchy. I scratched and scratched, and this is what happened,” Purbasari
answered. Purbararang shook her head. “You must have done something really awful. You’ve
been punished by the gods!”

That day, the whole kingdom was scandalized. “What have you done, Purbasari?” demanded
Prabu Tapa Agung. Purbasari shook her head. “I didn’t do anything that would upset the gods,
Father,” she answered. “Then how can you explain what happened to your body?” Prabu Tapa
Agung asked again. “If you don’t confess, I’ll banish you to the woods.” Purbasari took a deep
breath. “Like I said before, I didn’t do anything wrong. And I’d rather be thrown into the woods
than to confess to a deed I didn’t commit.”

After a short discussion with his advisor, Prabu Tapa Agung ordered Purbasari to be moved to
the woods. Purbasari was very sad, but she couldn’t do anything to defy her father’s order. She
was accompanied to the woods by a messenger. He built a simple hut for Purbasari. After the
messenger left, suddenly a black monkey came to Purbasari’s hut. He carried a bunch of
bananas. From behind him, some animals looked on. “Are the bananas for me?’ Purbasari asked.
The black monkey nodded, as if he understood what Purbasari said. Purbasari took the bananas
with pleasure. She also said thanks. The other animals that were looking on also seemed to smile.
“Are you willing to be my friend?” Purbasari asked them. All the animals nodded happily.
Although she was living by herself in the woods, Purbasari never lacked of supplies. Everyday,
there were always animals bringing her fruits and fish to eat.
A long time had passed since Purbasari was banished to the woods, but her body still itched. At
some places, her skin was even ulcerating. What am I supposed to do?” Purbasari sighed. The
monkey who was sitting next to her stayed still, there were tears in his eyes. He hoped Purbasari
would remain patient and strong.

One night, on a full moon, the monkey took Purbasari to a valley. There is a pond with hot spring
water. The monkey suddenly spoke, “The water of this pond will heal your skin,” he said.
Purbasari was surprised, ”You can talk? Who are you?” she asked. “You’ll find out, in time,” the
monkey said. Purbasari didn’t want to force the monkey. She then walked to the pond. She
bathed there. After a few hours, Purbasari walked out of the pond. She was shocked to see her
face reflected on the clear pond water. Her face was beautiful again, with smooth and clean skin.
Purbasari observed her entire body. There were no traces of any skin ailments. “I’m cured! I’m
cured!” Purbasari shouted in joy. She quickly offered thanks to the gods and also to the monkey.

The news of Purbasari’s condition quickly spread to the kingdom, irritating Purbararang. She
then accompanied by Indrajaya go to the woods to see Purbasari. Purbasari asked if she would be
allowed to go home. Purbararang said she would let Purbasari return to the palace if Purbasari’s
hair were longer than hers. Purbararang then let her hair down. It was so long, it almost touched
the ground. But it turned out that Purbasari’s hair was twice longer than Purbararang’s hair.

“Fine, so your hair is longer than mine.” Purbararang admitted. “But there is one more condition
you must fulfill, do you have a future husband who is handsomer than mine?” said Purbararang
as she walked toward Indrajaya. Purbasari felt miserable. She didn’t have a future husband yet.
So, without much thought, she pulled the black monkey beside her.

Purbararang and Indrajaya burst out, but their laughter didn’t last long. The monkey meditates
and suddenly transformed into a very handsome young man, a lot more handsome than
Indrajaya. “I’m a prince from a kingdom far away. I was cursed to be a monkey because of a
mistake I committed. I could regain my true form only if there’s a girl who would be willing to
be my wife,” said the young man.

Finally, Purbararang gave up. She accepted Purbasari as the queen, and also confessed
everything she had done. “Please forgive me. Please don’t punish me,” Purbararang said, asking
for forgiveness. Instead of being angry, Purbasari smiled. “I forgive you, sis,” she said. Soon
after, Purbasari become queen. Beside her was the handsome prince, the former monkey known
as Lutung Kasarung.
 Cindelaras

Raden Putra was the king of Jenggala kingdom. He had a beautiful queen and concubine. Unlike
the queen, the concubine had bad personalities. She was envious and jealous with the queen, so
she planned to make the queen leave the palace. The concubine then asked the royal healer to
help her in her plan. One day, the concubine pretended to be ill. Raden Putra called the royal
healer to give the concubine treatments. “What is her disease?” Raden Putra asked the royal
healer. “I’m very sorry, My Majesty. She is sick because the queen put poison in her meal,” the
royal healer lied.

Raden Putra was shock and angry to hear the explanation. He called the queen and asked her if
the story was true. Of course the queen denied, but Raden Putra won’t listen. “Please Your
Majesty, have mercy. I really didn’t do anything,” cried the queen in her tears. Raden Putra’s
anger ended in a decision. The queen should be banished to the woods and terminated. He did
not know that the queen was already pregnant. Raden Putra commanded one of his general to do
the punishment. The queen was banished to the woods, but the wise general didn’t have the heart
to kill her. He built a simple house in the woods for her. On his way back to the palace, he
smeared his sword with rabbit blood, so Raden Putra would believe that he had killed the queen.

After the general left, the queen lived by herself in the woods. Several months later, she gave
birth to a healthy baby boy. The baby was named Cindelaras. He grew up as a nice, healthy, and
handsome boy. One day, while Cindelaras helped her mother to collect some fire woods, an
eagle dropped an egg. Cindelaras brought the egg to be brooded by a chicken behind their house.
The egg hatched into a chick and then it slowly became a strong rooster. The rooster is no
ordinary rooster. The rooster could sing. Every morning, the rooster woke Cindelaras up with its
beautiful song, “My master is Cindelaras. His house is in the woods. He’s the son of Raden
Putra.” The rooster often sang that song.

Cindelaras always woke up early in the morning and listen happily to his rooster’s song. He
didn’t realize the meaning of the song until one day, he started to think. “Who is Raden Putra?”
he asked his mother. The queen then told him the whole story. She also told him why they were
banned from the kingdom and lived in the woods. Cindelaras was very surprised. He decided to
go to the palace to meet the king, his father. Cindelaras asked her mother’s permission to go to
the kingdom and to tell the king what really happened. He also brought his rooster that grew
bigger and stronger each day.

On his way, Cindelaras stopped at a village. There, he met some people who were involved in
cockfighting. They challenge him to see how strong his rooster was. “If your rooster wins, you’ll
get a reward,” said the man who challenged him. Cindelaras accepted the challenge. In a few
minutes, his rooster defeated the opponent’s rooster. He was challenged again by other man, and
one more time, his rooster won. He won again and again.

The news about Cindelaras’ rooster quickly spread to the whole Jenggala kingdom and made
Raden Putra curious. So, he invited Cindelaras to the palace. “What is your name, boy?” Raden
Putra asked as Cindelaras arrived in the palace. “My name is Cindelaras, Your Majesty,”
Cindelaras answered. He felt both thrilled and happy to see Raden Putra.
Raden Putra challenged Cindelaras with one condition. If Raden Putra’s rooster won, Cindelaras’
head would be cut off. But if Cindelaras’ rooster won, Raden Putra would share half of his
wealth. Cindelaras accepted the condition. The competition was held in the front yard of the
palace. The two roosters fought bravely. But in just a few minutes, Cindelaras’ rooster won the
fight! Raden Putra shook his head and stared at Cindelaras from his seat, “That rooster is no
ordinary rooster, and the boy is not an ordinaty boy either. Who is he exactly?” he thought.
Raden Putra was about to asked when suddenly Cindelaras’ rooster sang the song, “My master is
Cindelaras. His house is in the woods. He’s the son of Raden Putra.”

Raden Putra was surprised. “Is it true?” he asked. “Yes, My Majesty. My name is Cindelaras and
my mother was the queen,” said Cindelaras. Raden putra called the general who had banished the
queen. The general then confessed that he never killed the queen. Later, the royal healer also
admitted his mistake. Raden Putra was so shocked. He immediately went to the woods to pick up
the queen. Ever since, Cindelaras and his parents lived happily together. As for the concubine,
she was sent to the jail as punishment.***
  Roro Jonggrang

Long time ago, there was a kingdom named Prambanan. All the people of Prambanan lived
peacefully. But then, Prambanan kingdom was attacked and occupied by the Pengging kingdom.
Prambanan then was ruled by Bandung Bondowoso of Pengging kingdom. He was a mean king.
He also had great supernatural power. His soldiers were not only humans, but also genies.

The king of Prambanan had a beautiful daughter named Loro Jonggrang. Bandung Bondowoso
fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. “You’re very beautiful. Would you be my queen?”
asked Bandung Bondowoso. Loro Jonggrang was shocked. She didn’t like Bandung Bondowoso
because he was a mean person. She wanted to refuse, but she afraid that Bandung Bondowoso
would be angry and endangered the people of Prambanan. Then, she came up with a plan. “If
you want to marry me, you have to build a thousand temples for me in just one night,” said Loro
Jonggrang. “What? That’s impossible!” said Bandung Bondowoso. But he did not give up. He
consulted with his advisor. “Your Majesty can asked the genies to help built the temples,” said
the advisor.

So, Bandung Bondowoso summoned his entire genies soldier and commanded them to help him
built a thousand temples. The genies worked in unbelievable speed. Meanwhile, Loro Jonggrang
heard from her servant that the building of a thousand temples was almost finished. She was so
worried. But again, she came up with a great idea. She asked all of her servants to help her.
“Please prepare a lot of straw and mortar. Please hurry up!” said Loro Jonggrang. “Burn the
straw and make some noise pounding the mortar, quickly.” All those servants did what Loro
Jonggrang ordered them; burning straw and pounding the mortar, making the genies think that
the sun is going to rise.

“It’s already dawn. We have to go,” said the leader of the genies to Bandung Bondowoso. All the
genies immediately stopped their work and ran for cover from the sun, which they afraid of.
They didn’t know that the light was from the fire that burning the straw, not from the sun.

Bandung Bondowoso can’t stop the genies from leaving. He was angry. He knew Loro
Jonggrang had just tricked him. “You cannot fool me, Loro Jonggrang. I already have 999
temples. I just need one more temple. Now, I will make you the one-thousandth temple.” He
pointed his finger to Loro Jonggrang and said some mantras. Magically, Loro Jonggrang’s body
turned into stone. Until now, the temple is still standing in Prambanan area, Central Java. And
the temple is called Loro Jonggrang temple.
 Jaka Tarub And Nawang Wulan

Jaka Tarub was a handsome and diligent young man. He lived in a village near a lake. One day,
when Jaka Tarub passed the lake, he heard some giggles and laughs of some girls who were
bathing in the lake. He was curious, so he peeped through the bushes. There were seven beautiful
girls in the lake. They’re fairies from the heavenly kingdom of kahyangan. Jaka Tarub saw a
scarf near the bushes. It belonged to one of the fairies. Jaka Tarub then took it and hid it.

Crack!!! Accidentally, Jaka Tarub stepped on a twig. “There’s someone!” said one of the fairies.
“Let’s get back. Hurry!” she said. They pulled over and wear their scarf. “Where is my scarf?”
one of the fairies couldn’t find her scarf. She was the youngest fairy called Nawang Wulan. They
tried to search for it, but it was no where to be found. “We’re sorry, Wulan. We have to go back
to kahyangan,” said the eldest fairy. “You’ll have to find it by yourself. We’ll wait for you in
kahyangan,” she said in empathy. The other fairies then flew to the sky leaving Nawang Wulan
behind. Nawang Wulan saw them leaving in tears. She was so sad.

“Excuse me …,” said Jaka Tarub, startling Nawang Wulan. “Are you okay?” he asked. Nawang
Wulan moved backward, “Who are you?” she asked. “My name is Jaka Tarub. I was passing by
and I heard you crying, so I came to see what happen,” Jaka Tarub lied. Nawang Wulan then told
him about her problem. “I can’t fly without my scarf,” she said. Jaka Tarub then asked Nawang
Wulan to come home with him. At first, Nawang Wulan refused the offer. But since she didn’t
have anywhere else to go, Nawang Wulan then decided to follow Jaka Tarub.

Nawang Wulan stayed with Jaka Tarub in the village. A month passed, and they decided to get
married. Nawang Wulan was willing to marry a human because she fell in love with Jaka Tarub.
After a year, they had a beautiful daughter. They named her Kumalasari. They lived happily.

Jaka Tarub was also happy to live with Nawang Wulan and Kumalasari. Especially because he
always got a lot of harvest since he married Nawang Wulan. He couldn’t even keep all of his
harvest in the barn because it was always full. “It’s so weird. Nawang Wulan cooked everyday,
but why is my barn always full,” Jaka Tarub mumbled to himself. He was so curious. One day,
Jaka Tarub stayed at home. “I want to stay home today. I’d like to play with Kumalasari,” he
said to his wife. “Well, I’ll go to the river to wash the clothes. Please keep an eye on
Kumalasari,” asked Nawang Wulan. “I’m cooking rice now. Please do not open the pan cover
before it’s done,” she said just before she left. “Could this be the secret?” Jaka Tarub thought.
After Nawang Wulan left, he curiously opened the pan cover. He found only one single paddy.
“How come?” he wondered.

Before lunch, Nawang Wulan came home. She headed to the kitchen to see the rice she had
cooked. She found that the rice turned into only a few grains. “Did you open the pan cover?” she
asked her husband. “I… I’m sorry. I was curious,” Jaka Tarub said as he realized his fault.

Ever since, Nawang Wulan had lost her power. She couldn’t cook rice with only a single paddy.
Their paddy supply was slowly lessened. Their barn was almost empty. One day, Nawang Wulan
went to the barn to get some paddy. When she took one of them, she found a scarf. “What’s this?
This is my scarf,” said Nawang Wulan startled.

That night, Nawang Wulan asked her husband about the scarf. Jaka Tarub’s eyes widened, “You
found it?” he asked. Jaka Tarub looked down and asked for her forgiveness. “Because I’ve found
my scarf, it’s time for me to go back to where I belong,” Nawang Wulan said. Jaka Tarub tried to
stop her, but Nawang Wulan had made up her mind. “Please take good care of Kumalasari,” she
said. “If she wanted to see me, take seven grains of candlenut and put it into a basket. Shake it as
you play the bamboo flute. I’ll come to see her,” she explained.

Jaka Tarub promised to take good care of their daughter. He once again asked for forgiveness for
all of his mistakes. “I’ve forgiven you, so you don’t have to feel guilty. I must go now. Take
care,” said Nawang Wulan as she flew to the bright full moon.***
The legend of Lau Kawar Lake

It was a beautiful day. Everybody in the Kawar village was happy. The farmers had just had
their best harvest. The villagers were planning to hold a party to celebrate the good harvest. On
one beautiful day, all the villagers gathered in a field. They wore beautiful dresses and made
delicious food. Everybody was having good times! They were singing, laughing and, of course,
eating delicious food.

Did everyone go to the party? Unfortunately, there was one old woman still staying at her house.
She was too old and weak to go to the party. Her son, her daughter-in-law, and her
grandchildren all went to the party. At home, the old woman felt very sad and lonely. She was
very hungry too. She tried to find some food in the kitchen, but she was very disappointed. Her
daughter-in-law did not cook that day. At the party, the son asked her wife, “Why don’t you take
some food from the party and give it to my mom? Ask our son to deliver it.” Then the little boy
brought the food to her grandmother. The old woman was so happy. But her happiness turned
into sadness when she saw the food was not in a good condition. It seemed that someone had
eaten the food. She just got little rice and fish bones.

The old woman was very sad. She thought bad things about her son. The old woman did not
know that it was her grandson who had eaten the food on the way from the party to the house.
She cursed her son. Then, a terrible thing happened. There was a great earthquake! Thunders
struck the village. And heavy rains started to fall. All the villagers were so scared. They wanted
to save themselves. They tried to find shelters. Slowly, the field turned into a lake. The lake was
getting bigger and bigger, and finally the whole village turned into a big lake. People then
named the lake Lau Kawar
Terjemahan The Legend of Lau Kawar Lake
Saat itu adalah hari yang indah. Semua orang di desa Kawar merasa senang. Para petani baru saja
panen denganhasil terbaiknya. Para penduduk desa berencana untuk mengadakan pesta untuk
merayakan panen yang baik. Pada satu hari yang indah, semua penduduk desa berkumpul di
lapangan. Mereka mengenakan gaun yang indah dan membuat makanan lezat. Semua orang
mendapatkan saat yang menyenangkan! Mereka bernyanyi, tertawa dan, tentu saja, makan
makanan lezat.

Apakah setiap orang pergi ke pesta? Sayangnya, ada satu wanita tua masih tertinggal di
rumahnya. Dia sudah terlalu tua dan lemah untuk pergi ke pesta. Anaknya, menantunya, dan
cucu-cucunya semua pergi ke pesta. Di rumah, wanita tua merasa sangat sedih dan kesepian. Dia
sangat lapar juga. Dia mencoba untuk mencari beberapa makanan di dapur, tapi dia sangat
kecewa. Ternyata menantunya tidak memasak hari itu. Di pesta, anaknya itu bertanya kepad
istrinya, “Mengapa kamu tidak mengambil beberapa makanan dari pesta ini dan memberikannya
kepada ibu dan meminta anak kita untuk menngantarkan nya puelang untuk ibu?”. Tak lama
kemuadian cucu nenek itu membawakan makanan ke neneknya. Wanita tua itu sangat senang.
Tapi kebahagiaannya berubah menjadi kesedihan saat melihat makanannya sudah tidak dalam
kondisi yang baik. Tampaknya seseorang telah memakannya makanan itu. Nenek itu hanyaa
mendapat sisa sedikit nasi dan tulang ikan.

Wanita tua itu sangat sedih. Dia berpikir hal-hal jelek kepada anaknya. Wanita tua tidak tahu
bahwa yang makan makanannya itu adalah cucunya dalam perjalanan dari pesta ke rumahnya.
Maka Orang tua itu mengutuk anaknya. Tidak lama kemudian, hal yang mengerikan terjadi. Ada
gempa bumi yang dahsyat! Badai melanda desa. Dan hujan lebat mulai turun. Semua penduduk
desa sangat takut. Mereka ingin menyelamatkan diri. Mereka mencoba untuk menemukan tempat
penampungan. Perlahan-lahan, lapangan berubah menjadi danau. Danau itu semakin besar dan
besar, dan akhirnya seluruh desa berubah menjadi danau besar. Orang orang kemudian
menyebutnya sebagai Danau Lau Kawar.
 The legend of Telaga Warna

There was a kingdom in West Java. The kingdom was ruled by a king named His Majesty Prabu.

Prabu was a kind and wise king. But it was a pity that Prabu and his queen hadn’t got any
children. The queen often cried. That was why Prabu went to the jungle. There he prayed to God
every day, begging for a child.

A few months later, the queen got pregnant. Nine months later, a princess was born. Prabu and
Queen loved their beautiful daughter so much. They gave whatever she wanted. It made Princess
turn into a very spoiled girl.

One day, the princess celebrated her 17th birthday party. Many people gathered in the palace.
Then, Prabu took out a necklace which was made from gold and jewel.

“My beloved daughter, today I give you this necklace. Please, wear this necklace,” said Prabu.

“I don’t want to wear it! It’s ugly!” shouted the princess. Then she threw the necklace. The
beautiful necklace was broken. The gold and jewels were spread out on the floor. Everybody
couldn’t say anything. They never thought that their beloved princess would do that cruel thing.
In their silence, people heard the queen crying. Every woman felt sad and began crying, too.
Then, everybody was crying. Then, there was a miracle. Earth was crying.

Nowadays, people called the lake “Telaga Warna”. It means “Lake of Color”. On a bright day,
the lake is full of color. These colors come from shadows of forest, plants, flowers, and sky
around the lake. But some people said that the colors are from the princess’s necklace, which
spreads at the bottom of the lake.
Terjemahan The Legend of Telaga Warna
Ada sebuah kerajaan di Jawa Barat. Kerajaan itu diperintah oleh seorang raja bernama Yang
Mulia Prabu.

rabu adalah raja yang baik dan bijaksana. Tapi sayangnya Prabu dan ratu tidak mempunyai anak.
Ratu sering menangis. Itulah sebabnya Prabu pergi ke hutan. Di sana ia berdoa kepada tuhan
setiap hari, memohon untuk mempunayi anak.

Beberapa bulan kemudian, sang ratu hamil. Sembilan bulan kemudian, seorang putri lahir. Prabu
dan Ratu mencintai putri mereka yang cantik. Mereka memberi apa pun yang diinginkannya. Hal
itu membuat Putri berubah menjadi seorang gadis yang sangat manja.

Suatu hari, sang putri merayakan pesta ulang tahun ke-17 nya. Banyak orang berkumpul di
istana. Kemudian, Prabu mengambil sebuah kalung yang terbuat dari emas dan permata.

“Putriku tercinta, hari ini aku berikan kalung ini. Silakan, memakai kalung ini,” kata Prabu.

“Saya tidak ingin memakainya! Ini jelek!” teriak sang putri. Kemudian ia melemparkan kalung
itu. Kalung yang indah itu rusak. Emas dan perhiasan yang tersebar di lantai. Semua orang tidak
bisa mengatakan apa-apa. Mereka tidak pernah berpikir bahwa putri kesayangan mereka akan
melakukan hal yang kasar itu. Dalam keheningan, orang-orang mendengar ratu menangis. Setiap
wanita merasa sedih dan mulai menangis juga. Kemudian, semua orang menangis. Kemudian,
ada keajaiban. Bumi juga menangis.

Tiba-tiba, dari bawah tanah, mata air muncul. Hal itu membuat genangan air. Segera, tempat ini
menjadi danau besar. Danau itu akhirnya menenggelamkan kerajaan tersebut.

Saat ini, orang orang menyebutnya “danau Telaga Warna”. Ini berarti “Danau Warna”. Pada hari
yang cerah, danau ini penuh warna. Warna-warna ini berasal dari bayangan hutan, tanaman,
bunga, dan langit di sekitar danau. Tetapi beberapa orang mengatakan bahwa warnanya berasal
dari kalung putri, yang teresebar di dasar danau.