The Curse of Joko Bandung
Folklore from Yogyakarta
A long time ago, there were two kingdoms. They were Pengging Kingdom and Prambanan Kingdom. The king were fighting. They were at war! Pengging's king was Joko Bandung. He was very strong and powerful. He had great martial art skill. He led the soldiers and fought bravely.
Meanwhile, Prabu Boko, the king of Prambanan sent a giant to fight against Joko Bandung. The Giants name was Bandawasa.
Bandawasa was very big. Joko Bandung was not afraid with the giant. They were fighting.. And finally Joko Bandung won the fight. Before he died, Bandawasa's spirit joined Joko Bandung's spirit. That made Joko Bandung became more powerful. He then added Bandawasa's name into his name. His name changed into Joko Bandung Bandawasa.
Joko Bandung and his soldiers were attacking the palace of Prambanan Kingdom. Joko Bandung was looking for Prabu Boko. He wanted to kill the king of Prambanan Kingdom. Joko Bandung was more powerful. He killed Prabu Boko.
Joko Bandung occupied the palace. He asked all Prabu Boko's family to gather. He met Prabu Boko's beautiful daughter. Her name was Roro Jonggrang. he fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her.
Roro Jonggrang did not want to marry him. She hated Joko Bandung. However she was afraid and did not have any courage to refuse the marriage proposal. She had an idea how to refuse the proposal.
She would ask Joko Bandung to build 1.000 temples only in one night. If he could build the temples, Roro Jonggrang would marry him. Joko Bandung agreed. He accepted the challenge. He was not worried, he would asked the genies and the spirits to help him.
Joko Bandung and his genies started to work. They build the temples one by one. Roro Jonggrang was really worried. She knew Joko Bandung could not finish building 1.000 temples before sun rose.
She was thinking very hard. She had to find a way how to stop the genies and the spirit fro building the temples. Suddenly she had an idea.
She asked all the girls to make a lot of noise by grinding the rice in the mortar. She also asked them to make fire. She hopped that the spirits and the genies would think that sun was going to rise.
It worked! The noise and the fire woke the cocks up. The cocks were crowing. The spirits and the genies thought that morning would come soon.
And they also thought the sun would rise soon. The spirits and the genies were afraid of the sunlight. They left Joko Bandung alone. Joko Bandung was very angry! He knew Roro Jonggrang was plying a trick on him.
"Why did you do that? If you do not want to marry me, why don't you just say it? You are just looking for an excuse to refuse me!" said Joko Bandung.
He continued, "You are so stubborn like a stone. I curse you to become a statue!"
Joko Bandung's magic power had changed Roro Jonggrang into a statue! Since then people named the temples that the spirit and the genies build as Sewu Temple. And the people also named the Prambanan Temple as Roro Jonggrang Temple.***
A long time ago, there were two kingdoms. They were Pengging Kingdom and Prambanan Kingdom. The king were fighting. They were at war! Pengging's king was Joko Bandung. He was very strong and powerful. He had great martial art skill. He led the soldiers and fought bravely.
Meanwhile, Prabu Boko, the king of Prambanan sent a giant to fight against Joko Bandung. The Giants name was Bandawasa.
Bandawasa was very big. Joko Bandung was not afraid with the giant. They were fighting.. And finally Joko Bandung won the fight. Before he died, Bandawasa's spirit joined Joko Bandung's spirit. That made Joko Bandung became more powerful. He then added Bandawasa's name into his name. His name changed into Joko Bandung Bandawasa.
Joko Bandung and his soldiers were attacking the palace of Prambanan Kingdom. Joko Bandung was looking for Prabu Boko. He wanted to kill the king of Prambanan Kingdom. Joko Bandung was more powerful. He killed Prabu Boko.
Joko Bandung occupied the palace. He asked all Prabu Boko's family to gather. He met Prabu Boko's beautiful daughter. Her name was Roro Jonggrang. he fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her.
Roro Jonggrang did not want to marry him. She hated Joko Bandung. However she was afraid and did not have any courage to refuse the marriage proposal. She had an idea how to refuse the proposal.
She would ask Joko Bandung to build 1.000 temples only in one night. If he could build the temples, Roro Jonggrang would marry him. Joko Bandung agreed. He accepted the challenge. He was not worried, he would asked the genies and the spirits to help him.
Joko Bandung and his genies started to work. They build the temples one by one. Roro Jonggrang was really worried. She knew Joko Bandung could not finish building 1.000 temples before sun rose.
She was thinking very hard. She had to find a way how to stop the genies and the spirit fro building the temples. Suddenly she had an idea.
She asked all the girls to make a lot of noise by grinding the rice in the mortar. She also asked them to make fire. She hopped that the spirits and the genies would think that sun was going to rise.
It worked! The noise and the fire woke the cocks up. The cocks were crowing. The spirits and the genies thought that morning would come soon.
And they also thought the sun would rise soon. The spirits and the genies were afraid of the sunlight. They left Joko Bandung alone. Joko Bandung was very angry! He knew Roro Jonggrang was plying a trick on him.
"Why did you do that? If you do not want to marry me, why don't you just say it? You are just looking for an excuse to refuse me!" said Joko Bandung.
He continued, "You are so stubborn like a stone. I curse you to become a statue!"
Joko Bandung's magic power had changed Roro Jonggrang into a statue! Since then people named the temples that the spirit and the genies build as Sewu Temple. And the people also named the Prambanan Temple as Roro Jonggrang Temple.***
The Legend of Lime Stone Hill
Folklore fom Yogyakarta
Once upon a time in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, there was a kingdom named Medang Kingdom. The king was King Dewata Cengkar. He liked to eat. The chef in the palace always worked hard. The king was never satisfied with the food.
One day, the chef accidentally cut his finger and the blood dropped into the food. The chef was really scared and he told his friends not to tell the king about it. His friends agreed.
After the food was served, the king immediately ate. He really enjoyed the food. He said it was the most delicious food he ever had. Then he had a party and invited many people. He wanted his guests to eat his delicious food. However, the food was not as delicious as the king had earlier. The king was angry, he sent the chef to the jail.
Later, the chef’s friends told the king about the chef’s blood in the food.
Probably the blood made the food delicious. The king then asked his soldiers to bring him a villager and dropped his blood to the food. It was true! The food was very delicious. Since then the king always asked his soldiers to go around the villages and bring him someone’s blood.
People were scared. They did not want their blood to be taken. They prayed to Gods days and nights.
Gods listened to their prayer. They sent Aji Saka. He was a man with great supernatural power.
When he was meditating, he heard a whisper. He was asked to go to Medang Kingdom to help the people.
When he arrived at the kingdom, he told the soldiers that he wanted to give his blood. The soldiers later told the king that there was a man who willing to gave his blood.
The king was very happy. He had not eaten delicious food for a long time.
That was because his soldiers could not find a villager who was wiling to give his blood.
“I will give you my blood, but with one condition. You have to take off my robe,” said Aji Saka.
“Ha ha ha! That is easy,” said the king.
However when he tried to take off the robe, the king never succeeded. The robe seemed to be very long. The king was very tired. When the king stopped to rest, Aji Saka pushed him. The king fell down. And amazingly the king slowly changed into a white crocodile.
Aji Saka prepared his arrow. He pointed the arrow to the white crocodile.
Right after the arrow hit the crocodile’s body, it died instantly.
And on the spot where the crocodile lied down, grew a lime stone hill. The hill was infertile. It was very difficult for the villagers to plant a tree there.
The villagers then made good use of the hill to decorate their houses.***
One day, the chef accidentally cut his finger and the blood dropped into the food. The chef was really scared and he told his friends not to tell the king about it. His friends agreed.
After the food was served, the king immediately ate. He really enjoyed the food. He said it was the most delicious food he ever had. Then he had a party and invited many people. He wanted his guests to eat his delicious food. However, the food was not as delicious as the king had earlier. The king was angry, he sent the chef to the jail.
Later, the chef’s friends told the king about the chef’s blood in the food.
Probably the blood made the food delicious. The king then asked his soldiers to bring him a villager and dropped his blood to the food. It was true! The food was very delicious. Since then the king always asked his soldiers to go around the villages and bring him someone’s blood.
People were scared. They did not want their blood to be taken. They prayed to Gods days and nights.
Gods listened to their prayer. They sent Aji Saka. He was a man with great supernatural power.
When he was meditating, he heard a whisper. He was asked to go to Medang Kingdom to help the people.
When he arrived at the kingdom, he told the soldiers that he wanted to give his blood. The soldiers later told the king that there was a man who willing to gave his blood.
The king was very happy. He had not eaten delicious food for a long time.
That was because his soldiers could not find a villager who was wiling to give his blood.
“I will give you my blood, but with one condition. You have to take off my robe,” said Aji Saka.
“Ha ha ha! That is easy,” said the king.
However when he tried to take off the robe, the king never succeeded. The robe seemed to be very long. The king was very tired. When the king stopped to rest, Aji Saka pushed him. The king fell down. And amazingly the king slowly changed into a white crocodile.
Aji Saka prepared his arrow. He pointed the arrow to the white crocodile.
Right after the arrow hit the crocodile’s body, it died instantly.
And on the spot where the crocodile lied down, grew a lime stone hill. The hill was infertile. It was very difficult for the villagers to plant a tree there.
The villagers then made good use of the hill to decorate their houses.***
