Cangkuang Temple

Cangkuang Temple is 10 kilometers from Tarogong to the North in the direction to Bandung. To go there, tourists particularly foreigners took delman (a traditional land transportation with horse in the front). Beautiful flowers cover the shallow situ. There is a small island in the middle of the lake, namely Cangkuang temple. It is the only Hindu temple that ever found in West Java is the important discovery in the past. Cangkuang 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), at the 17th Century. The ambush failed, 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. In the edge of the lake, to reach Cangkuang temple, people must use traditional transportation made from bamboo, but safe and comfortable that is called rakit (raft).

In the year 1974 -1976 conducted restoration (reconstruction) of the temple building project undertaken by the Antiquities and Heritage Development of the National Department of Education and the result is like this now and Arif Mohammed tomb located next to the temple. Restoration was carried out based on the remaining foundation and a number of findings loose. The findings of the original stones of ± 20% is very limited, but enough to represent the parts of the temple. Temple completely refurbished and inaugurated by the Minister of Education and Culture dated December 8, 1976. 

Located in a 1600km-sq island in the middle of a huge lake called Lake Cangkuang. There are another 2 island nearby. So visitors have to take a boat to cross the lake and reach this temple. In this island there is also one Muslim tomb and a small museum related to that tomb and the renovation work of the temple. There is a small traditional village and lots of souvenirs stalls. The relief and sculpture of the temple was quite basic and simple and we couldn’t see much the inside of the temple because it was locked. The size of the temple is 4 x 4 x 3 m height, squared shaped. 

Source : http://www.travbuddy.com