The rich culture and natural beauty of Indonesia make it as one of the most visited countries in the world. However, aside from that, Indonesia also has several superstitions, rare rituals, unique beliefs, as well as mysteries that remain unsolved until now, despite the number of researches and investigations. Some of these things cannot even be explained by the logic.
Curious? Scroll down to know more about the unsolved mysteries in Indonesia!
Batu Bleneng
If you ever took a road trip from Jakarta to the eastern part of Java by land transportation, it’s most likely you have ever chose Tol Cipali (Cikopo-Palimanan) road. The road has been operating for the past two years. At a glance, this road is no different than other toll roads in Indonesia. But, there is one unique, mysterious object that becomes favorite topic about this toll road. Around kilometer 81 (from Jakarta), on the left side of the road, there is a huge stone on top of a hill. Residents around the toll road named this stone “Batu Bleneng”.
During the construction of Tol Cipali, the workers tried to move the stone to no avail. The legend said that Batu Bleneng is a stone originated from the top of Ciremai Mountain. It is rumored that there is a water spring under the stone’s current location, and Batu Bleneng is used to prevent the water spring from flooding the village around it.
There is also a rumor that Batu Bleneng is actually a center of supernatural force in Tol Cipali. People believe that if someone is trying to relocate the stone, it will cause bad luck for the person himself and even for the toll road. Do you believe this?
Dusun Karang Kenek
Dusun Karang Kenek is a tiny village in Olean, Situbondo, East Java. At a glance, there is nothing strange or different about this village. However, there is actually one weird thing about the village.
Since its establishment in 1980, the number of the heads of household in Dusun Karang Kenek has never changed. Until now, there are only 26 heads of households in this village. People of Dusun Karang Kenek believe that this village is cursed. If there is a new family moving to this village, it is almost certain that there will be unwanted thing happen to that family—whether they don’t like living in the village and move or they get sick and die in the village. That is why the number of family in the village remains 26 until now.
Sounds strange, huh?
Mysterious wall painting at Kontilola Cave, Papua
At Baliem Valley, Papua, there is a fascinating cave named Kontilola Cave. Visitors come to the cave to see the bat kingdom—a den full of hundreds of bats and a forest inside the cave. Adventurers alike come to explore the underground river inside Kontilola Cave.
Aside from the amazing wonders you can see at Kontilola Cave, there is another unique sight you can see inside the cave. On the high ceiling of the cave, there are a number of prehistoric paintings that depict mythological creatures of Matutuo. Archeologists believe that those paintings were made by archaic human thousands of years ago. However, it seems impossible for ancient human to paint on 12 meters height, unless they were equipped with modern tools like cranes. That is why the locals believe that the paintings are not just ordinary paintings—they were actually made by supernatural forces of the cave.
Until now, it remains unclear who actually made the paintings.
Read also: Guide to Raja Ampat
Underwater ancient civilization remains
Have you ever heard about Atlantis? Atlantis is a fictional island mentioned within an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato’s works Timaeus and Critias. Some ancient writers viewed Atlantis merely as a fictional or metaphorical myth; while others believed it to be real. There are many speculations about the exact location of Atlantis, and among those opinions, there are some who believe that Atlantic is actually located in somewhere in Indonesia.
In 2011, several geologists and Indonesia’s President special staff members discovered remains of ancient civilization under the waters of Priangan until the southern part of Banten. The researcher team believed that the remains were actually a city that was swept off by a disastrous tsunami in the past. This discovery was connected with Plato’s statement that Atlantis was actually a very beautiful, sophisticated city that was submerged into the sea by natural disaster. Although Plato never mentioned Indonesia, many experts believed that the city that Plato explained was Indonesia.
However, there is no official statement that the underwater remains was actually Atlantic.
It seems impossible to end the talk about mysterious and strange wonders in Indonesia. Instead of making Indonesia a scary country to visit, domestic and international tourists are attracted to explore more about these unsolved mysteries. Are you going to explore them to?
