Tanjung Lesung Legend - Traveler Folklore

Last time we travel to Tanjung Lesung. One of area in Pandeglang which offering the beauty of beach, white sand, coral, and other nice scenery. At first we wanted to saw the Tanjung Lesung Festival which held to increase tourism in this west area of Banten Province. 

It was said that Bagan Racing would be also held. We curiously went there and joined with Serang Backpacker Group. Not only could explore this place, but also we've heard one of Indonesia folklore, the Tanjung Lesung legend, the local story of Tanjung Lesung name. Want to know the legend? Here it is:

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Sri Poh Haci in this beautiful area. She liked to see the beauty of blue wide ocean, walk along the beach, left the footprints on the white sand. She loved to watch how the wave coming, erase her footfrints and how the sand touch her skin soon. She also liked to watched beautiful coral came to the beach. She loved the colors. 

She really loved the beach and the sand. But still when rice harvest time come, she took the pestle and started to pound rice. She likes the repeated sound comes from the pestle.

One day, there was a young handsome guy arrived at the village. He was looking for a girl of his dream. When he saw Sri Poh Haci, he immediatelly fell in love. She was the girl in his dream. He traveled from far away just to find her. He approached her and asked her name.

"Who are you?" asked Sri Poh Haci, little bit afraid with this young handsome guy.

"I'm Prince Budog," replied him, "I've traveled along way to arrive here. I don't have family," he continue explaining his condition and tried to find a reason just to be with her.

Sri Poh Haci was little bit worry, but she also attracted by his charming. She also touched by his politeness and got pity on him, since he didn't have any family here. She asked him to come with her.  

Her mother didn't like him and didn't allowed him to spend the night at their home. Her mother said, "in this house just the two of us, so if you want to stay, I just can offer you my terrace."

Prince Budog agreed to her offer, his heart just filled with happiness with the thinking of he could close to Sri Poh Haci everyday. Soon, Sri Poh Haci fell in love with Prince Budog, and Prince Budog proposed her. They got married after that.

The  village is not only beautiful due to of her natural and clean beach and river, but also green, full of rice field along the way. Sri Poh Haci & her husband, Prince Budog, liked to walk along the road, walked side by side while talking about everything they loved. The green of rice field day by day turned yellow. It was time for harvesting. Sri Poh Haci and all the woman village came out from their home with the pestles and ready to pound the rice in the mortars which local people called it as "lesung".  It was the first time for Prince Budog to hear the sound resulted from pestle crushing the rice in the mortar (lesung). He wanted to try crushing it, and he become addicted to the sound as the pestle hit the mortar (lesung). 

He didn't care about the time, he forgot everything when he started to pounding rice. He just couldn't stop, even her wife tried to stop him and warned him. 

"Husband, it's Friday! It's prohibited to pound the rice during Friday," warned her, tried to stop him. He ignored her wife and continued pounding. The sun started to climb up, and as time went on the the rhythm become more faster.

 Prince Budog, was not only pounding the rice but also he was dancing continuously.  Jumped to the left, jumped to the right, jumped to the left again while he was pounding. People tried to stop him also, since it was not allowed to pound the rice on Friday and people also worried looking to Prince Budog who continuously dancing without stop although for a moment. 

Then something magic came up. People astonished, looked at Prince Budog.

"Look! There is monkey!" people yelled.

"Oh, monkey pound the rice!"

Prince Budog wondered why people yelled at him, called him as monkey. But as he looked at himself, he was surprised that his body covered with hair and he even had a long tail. He realized that he had turn into a monkey. Prince Budog was so ashamed, he violated the rule.  He run away to the jungle nearby. 

After that day, the village is called as Tanjung Lesung. "Lesung" means mortar, and due to the village is located on the cape which in Indonesia is called "Tanjung", they name it as Tanjung Lesung. And, believe it or not, but we can still found monkey along the way near Tanjung Lesung Beach. There is caution: be careful, there's monkey.