Don't I think that talking about the same topic for many times can make your readers get bored? Besides who is "Mbah Jepra" (Mbah is a title given to elderly persons showing respects)? What is his relation with Bogor Botanical Gardens? What is the relation between Mbah Jepra and Bogor Botanical Gardens and especially Bogor?
Yes, I did give it a thought about this. Readers can easily feel fed up if a blogger writes the same topic or ideas several times . Particularly if the topics are written in short time span. I realized about this fact. However the Gardens mean more than just a place for vacation or a tourism destination.
The Bogor Botanical Gardens is that old it stored a lot of stories or histories related to the city. It plays a very important role in this city life and can not be separated, even until now from the life of Bogorians (Bogor people). You will find this won't be the last topic I will write in relation with the Gardens.
Anyway, who is "Mbah Jepra"? To answer this question , let me bring you a bit back to a location inside the Gardens. If you take a walk on the north part of the Gardens, you will find a place like showed in the first picture. The place can be seen from a red suspension bridge (this also has another story I will write later).
What makes this place so special? Because, there are many stories spread among people related to this site. The stories were already heard even since I was a kid. The stories were about people who got accidents or were found dead, injured or missing around this place.
What is the relation with the site? People in Bogor believed that all of the accidents were caused because the victims had been involved in a wrong doing or an impropriety. The improprieties were like cheating from your couple, indecent attitude such as "making love" in the Gardens and something like those. The tales are until now still connected to the place.
What is actually the site. The site is actually a compound of graves. Inside the green fence, there are actually two graves and a bit higher, around 200 M from the structure, you can find another one. In total , the little hill consists of three graves (I am sorry I forgot to take a picture of this one).
The first tomb inside the green fenced structure are believed to be the graves for Queen Galuh Mangku Alam. She was the second wife of Prabu Siliwangi, The King of Pajajaran Kingdom that had a capital in past Bogor. The second tomb is Mbah Ba'ul , the Prime Minister of the ancient Empire . The last one, the one on the hill is the grave of Mbah Jepra, the Commander or General. All of them were important persons of the kingdom.
I said "believed" because until now there is no authentic proof or literature to support this theory. That is why you may find several other versions or theories about who they were. Another theory says that Mbah Jepra was also the one who created Paledang Village (that has also its own story) and the guardian of Bogor. If this can be proven, it should be important for archaeologists and historians because it means the graves age are almost 600 years old which is even older than the Gardens. Unfortunately until now, it is still not scientifically or archaeologically proven yet.
The relation with the accidents happened on the victims is because people believed the Guards , invisible ones of these three important persons are angry. They were upset about the wrong doing and don't want such indecent attitude done in front of their esteemed ONES. The result of this, they, the guards sentenced the culprits with the punishment. The punishment type can be in form of injury up to death penalty. About the missing case, it is believed that the person was taken to faerie and returned after the family of the missing person did a ritual to request apology.
Once again, there was no evidence about those hearsay. However the facts are there about the cases and no murder or kidnapping taking places there. They become unsolved cases and stories.
That belief is also made as a base for the janitor of the tombs to always ask the visitors about the purpose of their visit. They also request all that make pilgrimage to the place to wear proper dresses and avoid doing something considered improper during their time here.
Pilgrimage? Yes, many believes the tombs are sacred and praying on the site will bring you sustenance. The number of coming visitors are quite a lot and from many classes , from ordinary people up to government officials hoping to keep their position on the government position.
How about me? Do I believe all of these or just think as an urban legend or folklore? Frankly I never thought about that too much. I visited this site several times. Once, even I did it in the night time (yes, indeed it was quite scary in the dark although I didn't go there ). However I can not say I believe these hearsay as it is almost impossible to prove it. On the other hand, there are still lots of things unexplained in this world.
The only matter for me that I will keep my proper attitude everytime I come here. The reason for me avoiding such wrong or indecent doings is simply because I don't think it is a proper conduct and the law prohibit such acts. Why should I cheat my beloved wife? Or to pump my adrenaline by doing a "quickie" here with lots of mosquito buzzing around and stinging you skin? Do you want to do it here? I don't think so.
Once again, there was no evidence about those hearsay. However the facts are there about the cases and no murder or kidnapping taking places there. They become unsolved cases and stories.
That belief is also made as a base for the janitor of the tombs to always ask the visitors about the purpose of their visit. They also request all that make pilgrimage to the place to wear proper dresses and avoid doing something considered improper during their time here.Pilgrimage? Yes, many believes the tombs are sacred and praying on the site will bring you sustenance. The number of coming visitors are quite a lot and from many classes , from ordinary people up to government officials hoping to keep their position on the government position.
How about me? Do I believe all of these or just think as an urban legend or folklore? Frankly I never thought about that too much. I visited this site several times. Once, even I did it in the night time (yes, indeed it was quite scary in the dark although I didn't go there ). However I can not say I believe these hearsay as it is almost impossible to prove it. On the other hand, there are still lots of things unexplained in this world.
The only matter for me that I will keep my proper attitude everytime I come here. The reason for me avoiding such wrong or indecent doings is simply because I don't think it is a proper conduct and the law prohibit such acts. Why should I cheat my beloved wife? Or to pump my adrenaline by doing a "quickie" here with lots of mosquito buzzing around and stinging you skin? Do you want to do it here? I don't think so.
I often see that tomb, because kebun raya is my favorite place. "as you know there no much to see in bogor" beside the myth of mbah jepra, i think that kind place doesnt belong in city park. Not only make the park more creepies but also i always though, this kind a thing are so dowgrade. Several people came and do shit like "Semedi" or "tabur bunga" and the smell of "kemenyan" just ruined my day everytime i come near that place, i meant come on kebun raya supposed to be like central park, not a sorcerer park.
ReplyDeleteI can not agree more.. However it's part of our life, the part of Bogor Botanical Gardens. It is indeed not considered as a part of the Gardens but like or not it is inside it. I am glad to know that there is someone that doesn't like what our people do in this tom. Thank you for coming here
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