The Baduy Tribe – The Closed Society

The Baduy is a tribe of among about 2,000 Sundanese speaking people living in 27 villages in the mountains south of Rangkasbitung, Banten Province, Republic of Indonesia. These people is still have their own culture, an utterly unique, and a closed society. They fight against attempts of the government to make them part of the modern world. The culture is very impressive although it is not easy to learn something about this area and their people.

Cibeo, Cikartawana, and Cikeusik are the 3 villages of the 27 villages in the center of the area, which cannot be visited. Here live about 40 families of the purest Badui stock. The culture here, is almost unharmed yet. The people of these 3 villages are known as ‘Baduy Dalam’. The other 24 villages in the outer circle are each connected to one of the inner three from which they are ruled. Leuwidamar, Lebak, and Kadukatug are the three of these outer villages can be visited. People of these 24 villages are known as ‘Baduy Luar’. Visitors or travellers should only visit this area if they are fit and used to adjust to local life forms. To enter the area visitors must first obtain a permit at the tourist office of Rangkasbitung.

During months of April and May, the Baduy community is closed to outsiders, as during this time it commemorates certain ceremonies, called ‘Seba’, the offering of part of their agricultural products to the Head of the District, Sub-Regent, and the Chief Resident. During this ceremony the "Puun of Baduy" sends out a group of representatives of ‘Baduy Dalam’ people as well as ‘Baduy Luar’ to act as the community's spokesmen. When conducting this Seba ceremony the ‘Baduy Dalam’ members refuse to ride any vehicle, instead, the distance of 150 km is traveled on foot as proof of their perseverance.

The Baduy tribes live in Banten Province, Republic of Indonesia. These community’s villages can be reached via a 10 km village road from either Cibolegar or Cibungur village in Leuwidamar district. From Rangkasbitung visitors have to find transport to the entry point of the Badui area at Cibolger.

Cangkuang Temple, Ancient Hinduism Temple

Cangkuang temple is a temple lies on a small island in the middle of a lake. Cangkuang is the only Hindu temple that ever found in West Java is the important discovery in the past. It has been built in the period of the first Sundanese Kingdom, Galuh Kingdom.

Near the temple, there are heritage graves from the Moslem follower Arif Muhammad, who is one of the Mataram Kingdom soldier from Central Java when attacking the Dutch Colonialist in Batavia (now Jakarta, capital of Republic of Indonesia), at the 17th Century. After the attacking, he refused to return and stayed in Cangkuang for teaching and disseminating Islam to the surrounding community, precisely in Kampung Pulo, where his hereditary stays until now. In Kampung Pulo, can be found the traditional village, which contains six houses in a row and face-to-face, three on the left and three on the right, plus one mosque, which stays only six families.

To go to Cangkuang area, traveler or visitor particularly foreigners took delman (a traditional land transportation with horse in the front). To reach Cangkuang temple, people in the edge of the lake, must use traditional transportation made from bamboo, but safe and comfortable, that is called ‘Rakit’ (raft).

Cangkuang Temple is 10 kilometers from Tarogong to the North in the direction to Bandung. Bandung is capital of West Java Province, Republic of Indonesia.