Garut Regency Tourism Resorts

On March 2 nd , 1811 Balubur Limbangan Regency was wiped out by Governor General Herman W. Daendels (Dutch Colonial). Its Regent, Tumenggung Wangsakusumah II was honourable resigned. Balubur Limbangan Regency comprised 6 sub-districts: Balubur, Malangbong, Wanaraja, Wanakerta, Cibeureum and Papandak. On February 16 th, 1813 new Limbangan regency was founded by Liutenant Governor Thomas S. Raffles which now becomes Garut Regency.

RAA. Adiwijaya was the first Regent of Garut Regency who governed from the year of 1813 until 1821. He was well-know for his call of Dalem Cipeujueh.

On February 16 th, 1813 new Limbangan regency was founded by Liutenant Governor Thomas S. Raffles which now becomes Garut Regency. RAA. Adiwijaya was the first Regent of Garut Regency who governed from the year of 1813 until 1821. He was well-know for his call of Dalem Cipeujueh.

Garut is one of the regencies in Southern West Java with the area of 306.519 hectares or 3,006.88 square kilometers. Geographically, it lies between 657'34"-744'57" latitude and 107 24'34"-108 7'34 longitude. , belonging to West Java Province region in Indonesia where its borders are the follows;

• Eastern Side : Tasikmalaya Regency
• Western Side : Cianjur and Bandung Regency
• Northern Side : Sumedang Regency
• Southern Side : Indonesian Ocean

This area includes valley territory surrounded by volcanoes (mount Karacak:1838m, mount Cikuray:2821 m, mount Guntur:2249 m, mount Papandayan 2622 m in the Northern side with the average heights of 700 - 750 meters over sea level . There are the streams of frozen lavas on their slopes. In general Garut has cool and tropical climate with the average temperature of 24.3 Celsius degree, whereas the rain falls are average of 2,589 millimeters per-year.

The typology of land fertility is various because of being influenced by mountains, river stream and coastal lowland territories. With the mentioned condition the potency of Garut Regency's territory I dominated by agricultural businesses especially plantation, food plant, animal husbandry followed by forest resources.

Some of specific and well known commodities from Garut are Garut Orange Fruits (Jeruk Garut), Garut Lamb (Domba Garut), Dodol Garut (delicious specific snack from Garut), Vetiver Root Oil /Andropogon Zizanioides (Minyak Akar Wangi), Batik Tulis Garutan (hand painting clothes), Silk Worm Clothes, Gemstone, Leather Craft, and Bamboo Craft. Garut Orange commodity plant located at mountain hill area at Wanaraja, Samarang and Bayongbong District. That all location most popular in Indonesia as mountain hill area with highland view more than sea level 900 m - many kind of fruits and vegetable production. Since a long time ago, when Indonesia have been Dutch colonization, Garut orange are kind variety classified as one of Indonesia famous exotic fruits in the world. Garut Orange has a good taste, good coloring, thick skin textures, and good aroma. Until, a moment, CVPD ( citrus vein phloem degeneration/) damaged it.

Administratively, Garut regency consists of 42 sub districts and 419 rural districts with 2.173.623 people (1.106.473 males and 1.067.150 females). Garut Regency constitutes the buffer land and hinterland for the development of Bandung Raja's territory, has strategic position and the supplier for the needs of Bandung municipality and regency's populations all at once it takes a rote in restraining environmental equilibrium.

Based on the characteristic of the territory, Garut Regency is divided into two territories.

• The territory of Northern Garut consists of upland which constitutes the largest rice field in Garut regency and in general it consists of upland with mountains and range of hills.
• The territory of Southern Garut most consist of sloping land and flowed by twelve rivers going in directions of south and emptying into Indonesian Ocean .

The potencies of tourist resort in Garut Regency, not only coastal panorama and its sea but also crater, waterfalls. Lakes and a hot water place supported by fresh and cool air are much enjoyed by local tourist or those being out Garut Regency even foreign tourists instead. So it is reasonable at if Garut Regency had the call "Swiss Van Java" in the Dutch Colonial Period.

Garut Event :

Ram Fighting Dexterity
		Ram Fighting dexterity is an people game accompanied by Kendang Pencak traditional arts for making atmosphere more lively. Ram Fighting dexterity has esthetical value at the rams take preparations and their heads collide each other. Beside that fighting ram have strong, beautiful, energetic bodies and nice movement while fighting.
This event is usually performed in June, August and December in three places that is : Ngamplang, Cangkuang and Ranca Bango.
Cangkuang Water Feast
		This event is a routine in the framework of commemorating Indonesia 's independent day. The activity appeared is the race of rowing rafts, the race of catching ducks, etc accompanied by traditional arts of calung and pencak silat, usually held in August.
Ngalungsur Ceremony
		Ngalungsur is a process of ritual ceremony where the inheritance heirlooms of Sunan Rohmat (Sunan Godog) every once a year cleaned or washed with flowers water and rubbed with perfume in or not to rusty. It is usually held on every the twelfth of Maulud month. Beside that there is performance of Garut specific arts.
Begendit Festival
		Bagendit festival is a people feast held year. Several kinds of arts are presented, both traditional arts like lais, debus, hadro, etc and modern arts. Besides that water sports is also shown or raced.
"Helaran" Tradisional Art Festival
		Helaran arts performance is a show from of several kinds of traditional arts which ever existed and developed in Garut either still intact, original or having been developed and then visualized by walking in procession in the street. Helaran is held every March in coincidence with the anniversary of Garut city.
"Seba" Ceremony
		Seba ceremony is a devotion to someone occupying high position accompanied with delivery of something good. As for that delivery it is directed to ancestral souls that is Prabu Siliwangi and Keyan Santang because the two figures had high knowledge's supranatural powers, so their heirlooms have hidden and magic powers.
Shoutern Marine Feast
		This event is a people ceremonial feast and arts performance usually held at Santolo beach (Pameungpeuk).
Mojang Jajaka Festival
		This event is a creativity arena of young generations who have love of art and high worth of traditional culture and are able to appeared as tourism enjoys of Garut Regency. Mojang Jajaka contest is usually held in July.

(source : www.garut.go.id)

Badui, Banten

The Baduy, who call themselves Kanekes, are a traditional community living in the western part of the Indonesian province of West Java. Their population of between 5,000 and 8,000 is centered in the Kendeng mountains at an elevation of 300-500 meters above sea level. Their homeland in West Java is contained in just 50 km² of hilly forest area 120 km from Jakarta, Indonesia's megalopolis of high-rises and fast cars. The Baduy are divided into two sub-groups; the Baduy Dalam (Inner Baduy), and the Baduy Luar (Outer Baduy). No foreigners were allowed to meet the Inner Baduy, though the Outer Baduy do foster some limited contacts with the outside world.

Language

The Baduy speak a dialect derived from archaic Sundanese. However, modern Sundanese and Javanese influences in their archaic dialect can be heard in their speech.

Religion and Beliefs
The religion of the Baduy is known as Agama Sunda Wiwitan, a combination of traditional beliefs and Hinduism. However, due to lack of interaction with the outside world, their religion is more related to Kejawen Animism, though they still retain many elements of their original Hindu-Buddhist religion, like the terms they use to define things and objects, and the rituals in their religious activities. A certain amount of Islamic influence has also penetrated into the religion of a few of the Baduy Luar in recent years, with some original ideas thrown in for good measure. The ultimate authority is vested in Gusti Nu Maha Suci, who according to the Baduy sent Adam into the world to lead the life of a Baduy. The Baduy also observe many mystical taboos. They are forbidden to kill, steal, lie, commit adultery, get drunk, eat food at night, take any form of conveyance, wear flowers or perfumes, accept gold or silver, touch money, or cut their hair. Other taboos relate to defending Baduy lands against invasion: they may not grow sawah (wet rice), use fertilizers, raise cash crops, use modern tools for working ladang soil, or keep large domestic animals. There is evidence that they were originally Hindu, and adopted this many centuries before foreign influence including Arab (Islam), European (Christianity) etc.

Social Classes

Generally speaking, the Baduy are divided into two groups: The Baduy Dalam and The Baduy Luar. The community of villages in which they live are considered mandalas, derived from the Hindu/Buddhist concept but referring in the Indonesian context to places where religion is the central aspect of life. The population of about 400 Baduy Dalam consists of 40 families Kajeroanl who live in the three villages of Cibeo, Cikertawana, and Cikeusik in Tanah Larangan (forbidden territory) where no stranger is permitted to spend the night. They are probably the purest Baduy stock. The Dalam follow the rigid buyut taboo system very strictly,( see Religion and Beliefs for more information about their taboos ) and thus they have made very few contacts with the outside world as they are considered as "People of the sacred inner circle". The Dalam are the only one of these two major clans that have the Pu'un, the spiritual priest of the Baduy. The Pu'un are the only people that visit the most hallowed and sacred ground of the Baduy which lies on Gunung Kendeng, in a place called Arca Domas. Unlike the Luar, the Dalams are hardly influenced by Islam. The Baduy Luar make up the remainder of the Baduy population, living in 22 villages and acting as a barrier to stop visitors from entering the Sacred Inner circle. They do follow the rigid taboo system but not as strictly as the Dalam, and they are more willing to accept modern influence into their daily lives. For example, some Luar people now proudly sport the colorful sarongs and shirts favored by their Sundanese neighbours. In the past the Baduy Luar only wore only their homespun blue-black cloth, and were forbidden to wear trousers. Other elements of civilization (toys, money, batteries) are rapidly infiltrating especially in the villages to the north, and it is no longer unusual for an outer Baduy to make a journey to Jakarta, or even to work outside as a hired hand during the rice planting and reaping seasons. Some even work in big towns and cities like Jakarta, Bogor and Bandung. Animal meat is eaten in some of the outer villages where dogs are trained for hunting, though animal husbandry is still forbidden.

History

Some people believe that the Baduy are the descendants of the aristocracy of the Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran who lived near Batutulis in the hills around Bogor; their domestic architecture follows most closely the traditional Sundanese architecture. Pakuwan known also as Sunda Kelapa, the capital of Pajajaran, was destroyed by invading Falethan Muslims in 1579. However, the Baduy today are increasingly losing touch with their Hindu culture and increasingly getting closer to nature both in their own religion and their life, as they use no electricity, fertilizer or irrigation techniques in their farming. Another theory suggests that they originate in northern Banten; pockets of people in the northern hills still speak the archaic dialect of Sunda that the Baduy use.

Education

Even today, despite the ways that Suharto tried to force them to change their lives and build modern schools in their territory, the Baduy opposed the government. As a result, very few Baduy are able to read or write. Jesuit Priest, Father Wayne P. Penaflorida is a leading proponent for education of all Baduy.