At 89, 'Mbah' Delik still a cave conqueror<\/p>\n
By Tarko Sudiarno<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): If you want to go caving in these parts,
\nnature lovers and students will tell you there is one man who is
\nessential to have on your side.<\/p>\n
Slamet Karsodihardjo, nicknamed Mbah (grandpa) Delik, is
\nalmost 89, but the Yogyakarta royal servant has been exploring
\ncaves, including previously undiscovered ones, since his youth.
\nBesides being a hobby for him, Mbah Delik's efforts have also
\nhelped further scientific and historical research.<\/p>\n
People are astounded to see that the grandfather of 20 is
\nstill descending cave slopes and traversing underground rivers.
\nBarefooted and without modern gadgets, Delik enters the mouth of
\na new cave and handles it with ease.<\/p>\n
Light and lithe, he is able to secure a tight grip and creep
\nalong the cave wall like a house lizard.<\/p>\n
The darkness does not deter Delik from ranging into the
\ndeepest areas of cave valleys either. He is convinced of his God-
\nbestowed gifts and, once he enters a cave, is not afraid of the
\npitch-black dark, of falling, of unknown venomous creatures or
\nthe ghosts that many say haunt the area.<\/p>\n
Mbah Delik is an ordinary man, but he developed a deep
\nunderstanding of Javanese philosophy and mysticism, which has
\nmade caving easy to master. Besides being a cave enthusiast he is
\na lover of wild animals and is also said to be capable of
\nrecovering valuable heirlooms by magic.<\/p>\n
Researchers and nature lovers began to seek Mbah Delik's help
\non their expeditions when he joined Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity as a civil servant in 1970, following his retirement
\nfrom the Army in 1967.<\/p>\n
The biggest expedition he ever took part in was the search for
\nvictims of the massacre that followed the alleged 1965 communist
\ncoup attempt.<\/p>\n
The expedition took place in Luweng Grubuk, Gunung Kidul
\nregency, in 1992. The cave was one of the places where those
\naccused of being communists were killed and their bodies dumped.
\nLocals believed the area was haunted and said strange voices
\ncould be heard from Grubuk, which nobody dared visit.<\/p>\n
Only in 1992 did Mbah Delik try to enter Grubuk for the first
\ntime. \"I just served as bait, so that if I'd died first, others
\nwould not have perished,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Besides the popular belief in the presence of spirits and
\nferocious animals guarding the cave, Grubuk also emits dangerous
\ngases.<\/p>\n
\"But I'm sure that as long as we don't disturb them and we
\nhave good intentions, we'll be safe. I was able to penetrate it
\nthrough another opening by following an underground stream.\"<\/p>\n
While following the stream that took him to Grubuk, he only
\nheld a walkie-talkie to communicate with the expedition team
\nmembers, and palm sugar for a snack.<\/p>\n
Without lights and caving equipment Mbah Delik waded along in
\nthe dark on his own until he finally reached the part of the cave
\nwhere human skeletons were scattered.<\/p>\n
\"Ten sacks of bones were gathered,\" he said of the place where
\npeople, many of whom were never proved to have committed a crime,
\nwere killed or their bodies dumped.<\/p>\n
Mbah Delik has joined countless caving adventures with
\nstudents as well as researchers. Even Gadjah Mada University has
\nutilized his prowess for biological and anthropological studies.<\/p>\n
\"I've found a lot of fossils in my own way for research
\npurposes,\" he proudly said.<\/p>\n
His knowledge and experience draws many guests, who visit him
\nat his modest home by the Code River, Blunyah village,
\nYogyakarta. He gives them advice and asks for nothing in return.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very pleased to have them here, no matter what they need.
\nThe fact that they see me is beyond value in money terms,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He is also an adviser and founder of a Javanese school of
\nmysticism. He has a magical saying which he says prior to
\nentering a cave, usually as the first of the expedition party:
\n\"All the earth, wood, wildlife, caves and slopes, never interfere
\nwith us, we only need your aid,\" he says.<\/p>\n
And, so far, his words have kept him safe and sound.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/at-89-mbah-delik-still-a-cave-conqueror-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }