Traces of Kasepuhan Ciptamulya: A Portrait of the Beautiful Sundanese Traditional Village on the Slopes of Mount Halimun Before the Fire
A massive fire razed the Kasepuhan Ciptamulya Traditional Village, destroying dozens of homes. The incident occurred on Saturday (25/7/2026) at around 1.00 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. A total of 51 houses and 49 leuit, or rice barns, along with the Imah Gede, the local traditional house, were gutted by the fire, but there were no casualties.
The Traditional Head of Kasepuhan Ciptamulya, Abah E. Suhendri Wijaya, known as Abah Hendrik, stated that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit originating from a bathroom, which then spread rapidly to residents’ houses and the Imah Gede. “Actually, it was indeed from the electricity, because there is already evidence when someone recorded a video of the incident, an electrical short circuit in the sanitation facility, which then spread to other settlements, first to the Imah Gede,” Abah Hendrik explained.
The long distance and difficult terrain made it challenging for firefighters to reach the traditional village, meaning residents’ homes could not be saved and were completely destroyed by the fire.
Before the fire, the Kasepuhan Ciptamulya Traditional Village was a beautiful village that still strongly maintained its customs and culture. Its location on the slopes of Mount Halimun gave the village a very scenic setting for tourism and cultural learning. The village is situated in Cibongbong Hamlet, Sirnaresmi Village, Cisolok District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java. Its position on the slopes of Mount Halimun is close to two other kasepuhan areas, namely Kasepuhan Sirnaresmi and Kasepuhan Ciptagelar. All three are kasepuhan of the Sundanese indigenous community located in Sirnaresmi Village. While in this village, tourists could enjoy the cool air and the expanse of beautiful scenery from the slopes of Mount Halimun. There were homestays for tourists or guests wishing to stay overnight and learn about the local culture. The various facilities provided were able to offer comfortable tourism experiences for visitors. Residents’ houses were built using bamboo walls and palm fibre roofs, and there were a number of leuit or rice barns for storing harvest yields.