Natural curtains the attraction of Gong Cave
Natural curtains the attraction of Gong Cave
PACITAN (Antara): In an East Java village, a cave once avoided
for being haunted, draws scores of local and foreign tourists.
Gong Cave is in the Bomo village of Punung district, Pacitan.
Its beauty lies in its natural "paintings", formed by water
dripping down its walls, the white-brownish hues of stalactites
and stalagmites and a lake in the middle. The rocks glow in the
sunlight.
Upon entering the cave, visitors are free to interpret its
paintings.
Senior resident Wakino has seen "curtains flying in the wind,
cassava, flower buds and banana trees".
The cave has attracted Swiss musicians. A concert with
Indonesian musicians was performed in the cave last September.
Gong Cave is only one of many spectacular caves in Pacitan, a
rocky and mountainous area with dozens of caves. In Gong Cave,
which is about 200 meters long, visitors venture from one
enclosed space to another with its several natural "baths". In a
neighboring village is Putri (Princess) Cave, where bathers
believe they will gain eternal youth from its water.
Gong Cave became popular after a resident, Wakino, discovered
it in March 1995. He said he was exploring it with friends
despite villagers' talk that it was haunted.
"My grandfather told me he once found water here during a
drought," he said. The shunned cave turned out to be beautiful,
and the local administration awarded Wakino a certificate.
The cave is no longer shunned. The administration immediately
saw its tourism potential and built facilities worth Rp 77
million to enable easier access to the cave. Though spelunkers
and speleologists may less appreciate the challenge, the
administration saw it necessary to assist visitors with stairs,
handrails, lighting and a few benches.
Other facilities built were a mosque, better access roads and
a parking area.
Visitors can travel from Surakarta through Wonogiri and enter
the site from the Wonogiri-Pacitan crossroad in Punung. Another
route is Ponorogo-Pacitan-Wonogiri and then Punung.
Reflecting on Gong Cave's name, Wakino said earlier residents
said it was from the sound of a gong, which they believed came
from a spirit. He and his friends later found this to be the
stalagmites and stalactites.
"It was exactly like what we hear in a gamelan... sometimes
the gong sound was interrupted by very sad crying sounds."
Other caves in the same district include Tabuhan Cave
(similarly named because of "music sounds"), in which residents
and gamelan lovers claim they can identify various traditional
gending (songs). Twenty-five kilometers away is Jaran Cave, which
is three hectares in size. So far, there have been 65 caves
discovered in Pacitan to satisfy cave lovers.