Lake Cangkuang, temple offer an air of serenity

Text and photos by Wawan S. Husin

GARUT, West Java (JP): If you stay in Bandung for a couple of days or spend the weekend in the city, do not forget to go to Cangkuang, an old temple and a lake located in Leles regency, Garut.

They are about 50 kms away from Bandung. That is an hour's drive, or an hour and a half if you take public transportation, which is less than Rp 5,000 per person. You will have to stop near the countryside of Leles, and from there you can go by ojek (motorcycle taxi) or sado(a horse cart). It takes 10 minutes from the main road.

The temple, built in the eighth century, was renovated in 1966. Although there is a path which leads to the temple along creeks and rice fields -- a very vast area around the kampongs -- people prefer taking the path along Lake Cangkuang. The lake is right in front of the temple. The width of the lake, which is about 10 square acres, is full of water lilies. When the lilies are in bloom, the red and white flowers give a warm welcome. The temple complex is like a small island in the lake. It is surrounded by tall and gigantic trees, which are hundreds of years old. The area is about one and a half square acres. Sitting around the temple, you can feel the wind blow off of the lake and you can hear the birds chirping high above in the trees.

Next to the temple site is a traditional kampong called Kampong Pulo, where you can see some Sundanese traditional houses with bamboo-plaited walls.

Uus, the raft guide, is always ready to take you cross the lake to the temple. He does not mind waiting for hours and will bring you back to the other side of the lake. For this service, he will charge you Rp 5,000.

"It is very crowded during the holidays, and I'm always busy," he said. "But on week days, there are not so many people coming here. The temple is quiet and my pockets are also empty," he said, laughing bitterly.

The entrance fee to the temple, collected by the Garut revenue office, is only Rp 500 for adults and Rp 300 for children.

Ibu Aah, who lives in Kampong Pulo with her family and a couple of neighbors, said that during the holidays, some locals erect food stalls near the temple. "They sell both traditional and 'modern' food and drinks."

The kampong was clean and tidy. Some people were busy drying paddies in the yard when we arrived there. It was a serene and enjoyable atmosphere.