Visitors go ape over Cirebon's famous monkeys

By R. Agus Bakti

CIREBON, West Java (JP): What happens to students who fail to heed religious teachings?

They are turned into monkeys, at least near Cirebon.

No kidding. That is the traditional explanation for the presence of monkeys in the graveyard of Sunan Kalijaga Syech Abdurrahman bin Wilwatikta in Kalijaga village, Sumberkelok subdistrict, in the Cirebon area.

Legend has it the monkeys appeared due to the action of Sunan Kalijaga, one of the nine famous propagators of Islam in Java. One day, when one of his students did not obey his religious teachings, Sunan Kalijaga's pronouncement turned him into a monkey.

The troupe of monkeys lives comfortably at the graveyard. They have presumably been there for hundreds of years, surviving through the generations. But a curious fact is that locals say the number of monkeys has remained constant over the years, never increasing from 99 animals.

Cemetery keeper Tana said the monkeys live well. Their habitat is limited to the houses of the villagers, trees growing in an area as large as a soccer field and the banks of Kalijaga River.

Kalijaga, located three kilometers from the center of Cirebon, has become a well-known site for relaxation.

"Many people visit the place on Sundays and holidays," said Tana.

Most of the visitors come to play with the monkeys. Tana said the monkeys were friendly to people as long as they were not abused.

He said most visitors express their caring for the animals by giving them food.

"These monkeys like to eat beras (uncooked rice)," said Tana, adding that visitors often ask him to buy rice. The animals gather whenever there is an offering of food.

Unlike many others of their kind, the monkeys enjoy a peaceful coexistence with their human neighbors. The locals do not dare to hurt or tease the monkeys, and freely give them food.

Tana was unable to provide a detailed explanation on why the monkey population remained constant at 99. But he said there was no human intervention to keep the population at the number.

"The story about the monkeys has been handed down for generations, from my father, my grandfather. If a monkey is born, it is not the case that another monkey is killed. It is all a natural process."

It is also generally a quiet life. The monkeys live in trees on the banks of the Kalijaga river which traverses Sumberkelok village. Some sleep in the graveyard of Sunan Kalijaga.

Although the local government has not designated the site a tourist attraction, the existence of the monkeys is already a draw. People, bearing gifts of rice, bananas and other food, can play and observe the monkeys without having to travel to a zoo.

The graveyard is also important to some visitors because of Sunan's important place in the spread of Islam through Java. Tana said most people on a pilgrimage to the site ask for the realization of their wishes. Visitors come from Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Cirebon.

The graveyard of has an attractive architecture, especially its entrance. It is built in the Cirebon style with the magnificent use of bricks. "It is at this place that the monkeys often come for shelter," Tana said.

Another comfortable place for monkeys is Plangon, also in Sumberkelok subdistrict. On the side of the road from South Cirebon to Kuningan, it is a stretch where motorists can rest and take in the amusing sight of monkeys coming down from the trees to play.

Both Kalijaga graveyard and Plangon are owned by Cirebon's royalty.

Sultan Djalaludin, who heads Kanoman Palace and owns the land at Plangon, said that anyone who wanted to develop the site into a tourist attraction would have to be careful to preserve the cultural values.

Both sites are easily accessible. There is direct public transportation from the terminal in Cirebon to the sites and even easier access for people using their own vehicles.