Situ Lengkong: A lake of ten thousands water lilies

Situ Lengkong: A lake of ten thousands water lilies

By Wawan S. Husin

CIAMIS, West Java (JP): If you are tired of big cities,
drowning in a sea of paper, or have a headache from the incessant
ringing of the telephone and glare of the computer monitor screen
please come to Situ Lengkong in the small city of Panjalu. The
city is about 130 kms east of Bandung, or about 35kms to the
southeast of Tasikmalaya.

Panjalu is a kecamatan (subdistrict) city of about 50,000
people. Downtown is about three square kilometers where people
can find a market, public transport terminal (to/from Bandung,
Tasikmalaya) and other local routes. Close to the market are some
food stalls, shops, bank (BRI), playing field, mosque, post
office, local government offices and police station. It is quiet
at night.

Situ Lengkong - as the locals call the lake - is a lake of
about 7 square kilometers in the heart of the area, about 300
meters from the terminal. Local people come in crowds and enjoy
themselves around the lake during Sundays and holidays. Some
visitors even come from other cities (Banjar, Ciamis,
Pangandaran, Tasikmalaya). People from Bandung, Jakarta and other
provinces also spend their weekends there.

The locals are very proud of the lake, and some even think it
has a special characteristic that fascinates them. There is no
single river flowing into the lake, yet it "...is always full of
water even in the dry season," said Ceu Nonoh. She is a local and
has been living around the lake since she was born. She takes
care of the cemetery of the Pangeran Anom (the viceroy) on the
banks of the lake.

There is a beautiful island in the middle of the lake where
Raden Borosngora (one of the holy men who took Islam from
Cheribon to Kawali, Panjalu) was buried.

His cemetery was a place of pilgrimage for a lot of people
from cities in West Java and even from East or Central Java. When
I was there, three groups of people visited, from Depok, West
Java, Purwokerto, Central Java and East Java. They prayed around
the cemetery and Pak Ade (the caretaker of the area) explained
about the holy man and his supernatural powers. He then led the
prayers. A group of people meditated around the area near or
inside the shelter there or waited to pray near the cemetery of
the holy man. Books
about the story of the old kingdom of Panjalu are available for
visitors to buy.

Water lilies

If you want to enjoy the lake, please come very early in the
morning when the fog and smoke are still swirling over the
surface of the water. You can sit on the papanggon -- rafts of
bamboo where the locals wash -- or on the bank of the lake where
the dew wets the grass. Sit freely and relax, and if you practice
yoga, then it is the place where you can do your asanas. Look at
the water surface, the green bushes, bamboos and trees on the
island, about 700 meters from bank of the lake. Hundreds of large
bats hang from the old trees, asleep. Some can be heard making a
"criieekkk, criiieeekkk" noise.

Standing still or sitting by the lake, relaxing your muscles,
I would suggest you should start by looking at those water lilies
close to your eyes. Or touch them, they are there for you to
smell and touch. Touchable, smellable, visible and real. They are
blossoming, displaying their pink flowers and greenish-reddish
leaves floating on the water. One or two wooden boats are passing
by and at a distance locals are catching fish with nets.

Do your breathing exercises and enjoy the sights. Enjoy the
fresh aura and the rich ki (Japanese for earth and sky energy).
Feel the quietness around, peace and serenity of the island and
bushes, and also keep your eyes on the dynamic surface of the
water.

Glittering and sparkling.

What can you do in the afternoon? Just go around the lake,
powered or rowing boats are ready to take you around. Travel at
low speed to make your voyage as enjoyable and comfortable as
possible.

Suhara the boatman and his colleagues can take you around the
lake. "The cost is Rp 60,000 - Rp 70,000 for one circuit," Suhara
says smilingly. What is there to do? See the fauna and flora
around the lake, go to the group of dense lilies, say hello to
the locals who have a picnic with their families and have lunch
on the boat, see birds catching fish or worms among lilies, watch
fisherman, touch the dead trees floating near the island, observe
bats (through binoculars or the zoom lens of a camera), and above
all, enjoy the sound of water, the wash caused by the passage of
the boat. Nature lovers can take photos. Then the two-hour
journey will be meaningful for you.

In the afternoon? At about five or six, the bats will wake up
and will fly here and there. They will leave their tree kingdom
and travel far in order to find food. Mother Nature feeds their
children. Thousands of bats are flying out of the old gigantic
trees, screaming and screaming, they flap their wings while
lowering their heads, and then fly around, up, up and away. They
will become dots in the sky and disappear into the distance.

At night? Feel the cool breeze and dry wind near the lake.
Enjoy the moon far away above the sky. Lie down on the earth and
see the universe where millions of stars face you in silence. And
the moon is there bright and smiling. Moonlight falls on the
surface of the lake, creating a silvery wave of water. Hundreds
of crickets and other insects can be heard in the distance, and
waves of water wash the soil. Like a dialog between soil and
water. Amazing.

At the dawn or early morning? Sit on the papanggon again and
observe that the bats are coming home. Moving dots start to
appear. Getting bigger and bigger. The black figures are then
bats flying in flocks.

Screaming and crying, lullabying the dawn. See them and feel
the power of nature. Mother Nature has given them food, for the
bats always survive. Prepare for morning meditation, face
eastward for surya namashkar (welcoming the sun). Feel the wonder
of life, feel to your last breath that life is so wonderful, so
meaningful. For Mother Life is so lovely. Close your eyes, and be
ready, for within a couple of minutes, the sun will come and
awake you with its reflection on the surface of the water. This
will give you golden light. It's the very morning of delight.

Lake for visitors

Suprapto Suryosudarmo -- a mover, a spiritualist from Lemah
Putih -- has once visited the lake with his group. Among them are
Diane Butler, Maureen, Franka, Imo, Kristine, and some Kawali and
Panjalu artists like Dadang Kimos, Pandu Radea, Yuyus, Iyan etc.
They stayed there for two nights and a day. They meditated in the
island, on the banks of the lake, around the cemetery and their
main activity consisted of spreading thousands of nener-- small
baby fishes of about two cm or less in length - around the lake
in a very ritualistic fashion. Praying, chanting, and
distributing fish around the lake.

"A fantastic experience," said Imo, himself a psychotherapist
from Germany. The group then continued its journey to
"Panyipuhan", a natural spring, where they bathed. For Suprapto,
modern people tend to be charmed by too many cosmetics and forget
this natural spring. A life spring. The spring is about 30
minutes journey from Situ Lengkong. They carried out their "Water
and Soil Pilgrimage to the West" in the fourth week of April.

So if you are in West Java, and have one day and a night of
free time, or week-end time, please go to Panjalu, and be ready
to be impressed by the charm of the Lake of Ten Thousand Water
Lilies! Enjoy!