Visitors go ape over Cirebon's famous monkeys<\/p>\n
By R. Agus Bakti<\/p>\n
CIREBON, West Java (JP): What happens to students who fail to
\nheed religious teachings?<\/p>\n
They are turned into monkeys, at least near Cirebon.<\/p>\n
No kidding. That is the traditional explanation for the
\npresence of monkeys in the graveyard of Sunan Kalijaga Syech
\nAbdurrahman bin Wilwatikta in Kalijaga village, Sumberkelok
\nsubdistrict, in the Cirebon area.<\/p>\n
Legend has it the monkeys appeared due to the action of Sunan
\nKalijaga, one of the nine famous propagators of Islam in Java.
\nOne day, when one of his students did not obey his religious
\nteachings, Sunan Kalijaga's pronouncement turned him into a
\nmonkey.<\/p>\n
The troupe of monkeys lives comfortably at the graveyard. They
\nhave presumably been there for hundreds of years, surviving
\nthrough the generations. But a curious fact is that locals say
\nthe number of monkeys has remained constant over the years, never
\nincreasing from 99 animals.<\/p>\n
Cemetery keeper Tana said the monkeys live well. Their habitat
\nis limited to the houses of the villagers, trees growing in an
\narea as large as a soccer field and the banks of Kalijaga River.<\/p>\n
Kalijaga, located three kilometers from the center of Cirebon,
\nhas become a well-known site for relaxation.<\/p>\n
\"Many people visit the place on Sundays and holidays,\" said
\nTana.<\/p>\n
Most of the visitors come to play with the monkeys. Tana said
\nthe monkeys were friendly to people as long as they were not
\nabused.<\/p>\n
He said most visitors express their caring for the animals by
\ngiving them food.<\/p>\n
\"These monkeys like to eat beras (uncooked rice),\" said Tana,
\nadding that visitors often ask him to buy rice. The animals
\ngather whenever there is an offering of food.<\/p>\n
Unlike many others of their kind, the monkeys enjoy a peaceful
\ncoexistence with their human neighbors. The locals do not dare to
\nhurt or tease the monkeys, and freely give them food.<\/p>\n
Tana was unable to provide a detailed explanation on why the
\nmonkey population remained constant at 99. But he said there was
\nno human intervention to keep the population at the number.<\/p>\n
\"The story about the monkeys has been handed down for
\ngenerations, from my father, my grandfather. If a monkey is born,
\nit is not the case that another monkey is killed. It is all a
\nnatural process.\"<\/p>\n
It is also generally a quiet life. The monkeys live in trees
\non the banks of the Kalijaga river which traverses Sumberkelok
\nvillage. Some sleep in the graveyard of Sunan Kalijaga.<\/p>\n
Although the local government has not designated the site a
\ntourist attraction, the existence of the monkeys is already a
\ndraw. People, bearing gifts of rice, bananas and other food, can
\nplay and observe the monkeys without having to travel to a zoo.<\/p>\n
The graveyard is also important to some visitors because of
\nSunan's important place in the spread of Islam through Java. Tana
\nsaid most people on a pilgrimage to the site ask for the
\nrealization of their wishes. Visitors come from Jakarta, Bandung,
\nSemarang, Yogyakarta and Cirebon.<\/p>\n
The graveyard of has an attractive architecture, especially
\nits entrance. It is built in the Cirebon style with the
\nmagnificent use of bricks. \"It is at this place that the monkeys
\noften come for shelter,\" Tana said.<\/p>\n
Another comfortable place for monkeys is Plangon, also in
\nSumberkelok subdistrict. On the side of the road from South
\nCirebon to Kuningan, it is a stretch where motorists can rest and
\ntake in the amusing sight of monkeys coming down from the trees
\nto play.<\/p>\n
Both Kalijaga graveyard and Plangon are owned by Cirebon's
\nroyalty.<\/p>\n
Sultan Djalaludin, who heads Kanoman Palace and owns the land
\nat Plangon, said that anyone who wanted to develop the site into
\na tourist attraction would have to be careful to preserve the
\ncultural values.<\/p>\n
Both sites are easily accessible. There is direct public
\ntransportation from the terminal in Cirebon to the sites and even
\neasier access for people using their own vehicles.<\/p>",
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