Once upon a time on the island of Java there was a traveler named Raden Budog. He was a handsome and strong young man. In his adventures, he was always accompanied by a dog and his beloved horse. One afternoon, after bathing on the beach, Raden Budog rested under a shady ketapang tree. The cold beach breeze made the young man fall asleep so quickly. In his sleep, he dreamed of traveling north and meeting a beautiful girl. The girl’s beauty enchanted her heart. He saw the girl smile sweetly as he held out his hand. However, as he was about to greet the girl’s outstretched hand suddenly a dry twig fell on his forehead. He was shocked and immediately woke up from his sleep. Raden Budog slammed the twig hard because he felt angry that he could not continue his beautiful dream.
Since that incident, Raden Budog’s heart was not calm because the girl’s sweet smile was always reflected in the eyelids. Although only a dream, but he felt that his meeting with the girl was like a reality. Out of curiosity, he decided to travel north to find the girl of his dreams. After preparing enough supplies, Raden Budog drove his beloved horse to the north, while his dog walked in front while sniffing to find a way for his master.
After days of walking the steep roads, Raden Budog arrived at a high place known as Tali Alas or now called Pilar. From there, Raden Budog can see the view of the blue ocean that stretches wide and the beautiful beach. For a moment, he rested in that place while enjoying his remaining supplies. Meanwhile, his horse was left looking for fresh grass and his dog was busy hunting quails that roamed a lot among the bushes.
After feeling enough rest, Raden Budog continued his journey to the beach, which is known as Cawar Beach. Arriving at the beach, Raden Budog got off his horse and ran towards the beach and jumped into the sea.
“Waaah, this beach water is so cold!” said Raden Budog while washing his face with sea water.
The cold water on Cawar Beach really relieves Raden Budog’s tiredness. After his body was refreshed, the young man went to the mouth of the river around the beach to wash his body with fresh water. He then approached his horse and dog who were sitting by the beach with the intention of continuing the adventure. Unusually, when they saw their master, the two animals immediately greeted with a shrug or bark. However, this time they did not move at all as if they did not care about their master’s invitation. Raden Budog was surprised to see the behavior of his friend’s animals.
“Let’s get up quickly, let’s continue the journey!” exclaimed Raden Budog.
The dog and his horse remained motionless. Apparently, the two animals are very tired after a long journey so it is difficult for them to move their bodies.
“Well, if you do not want to obey my orders and remain silent like a coral, I will leave you here,” said Raden Budog angrily.
Raden Bodug’s speech apparently came true. His horse and dog suddenly turned into rocks. Eventually, Raden Budog had to continue the journey on foot alone. His determination remained strong. All that was on Raden Budog’s mind was the idol girl he met in that dream.
Raden Budog continues to walk tirelessly. He also did not pay attention to his worn clothes and dusty body. When he arrived at a river, he was forced to stop his journey because the river was being flooded.
“Ah, I’d better rest here while waiting for the flood to recede,” muttered Raden Bugog as he lay down on a large rock on the river bank.
Just when Raden Budog lay down, suddenly a dimple sounded from across the river. He was shocked and his heart was beating fast.
“I’m sure, across the river there is a village, where the girl lives,” he said with confidence.
Raden Budog couldn’t wait for the flood to recede because he wanted to meet his idol girl. Finally, he was forced to cross the river even though the flood had not subsided. With all his strength, he managed to cross the river. When he arrived at the entrance to the village, Raden Budog decided to take a short break to recover his strength while observing the surroundings.
A few moments later, the melodious sound of the mortar from within the village was heard again. Raden Budog’s heart was pounding even more because he felt the girl was getting closer to his heart. He immediately stood up and walked towards the source of the mortar sound. The farther he entered the village, the louder the sound of the mortar could be heard. As soon as he arrived in front of a house, you could see the village girls playing dimples or ngagondang. The habit of playing the mortar is a tradition of the villagers when they are about to plant rice. However, they do not do this tradition if it is Friday, because Friday is considered a sacred day.
Meanwhile, Raden Budog was amazed to see the girls’ hands, which were so agile and skilled at swinging and pounding the pestle into the mortar in turn. How mesmerized he was when he saw a beautiful girl who was swinging her hand and gesturing to other girls. Apparently, the girl named Sri Poh Haci was the leader of a group of girls who played ngagondang.
“That’s the girl who was present in my dream,” thought Raden Budog.
How happy Raden Budog is because the girl he has been looking for is now in front of his eyes. He also continued to look at the girl without blinking at all. Meanwhile, Sri Poh Haci, who felt that someone was paying attention, immediately gave a signal to his friends to stop the ngagondang game. The girls stopped playing the pestle in their hands as they rushed back to their respective homes, including Sri Poh Haci. Arriving at his house, Sri Poh Haci was greeted by his mother.
“Why is the dimple play only for a moment, my son?” asked Sri Poh Haci’s mother who is usually called Nyi Siti.
“Earlier there was a handsome young man who I have never seen. He kept watching me while playing ngadondang. I’m embarrassed, Mom, “said Sri Poh Haci.
Just when they were talking about the strange young man, suddenly there was a knock on the door and followed by the voice of a man.
“Sampurasun …, excuse me …”
“Rampes …,” replied Sir Poh Haci’s mother as she headed into the hall to open the door.
As soon as Nyi Siti opened the door, you saw a handsome and brave young man standing at the door.
“Sorry if my arrival interferes. Can I stay at Mother’s house? ” asked the young man who was none other than Raden Budog.
How surprised Nyi Siti heard the request of the young man she did not know.
“Sorry, who is this kisanak and where do you come from? Why does Kisanak want to stay at my house? We don’t know kisanak yet, ”asked Nyi Siti suspiciously. Raden Budog then introduced himself.
“My name is Raden Budog, ma’am. I am a traveler and happened to stop by this village. If you wish, please allow me to stay at my mother’s house, ”asked Raden Budog again.
“Sorry, Raden. The only inhabitants of this house are me and my daughter. I do not dare to accept male guests, especially when staying overnight, ”said Nyi Siti firmly as she closed the door.
Apparently, Nyi Siti was not happy with Raden Budog’s attitude, which was considered too presumptuous to want to stay at his house. Meanwhile, Raden Budog was annoyed that his request was rejected by the middle-aged woman. Because it was getting dark, he decided to rest in the bamboo bale near Nyi Siti’s house.
“Ah, I better sleep here,” muttered Raden Budog as he lay down on the bamboo bale.
The wandering young man was fast asleep. In his sleep, he dreamed that he was allowed to stay in the house. However, it was not Nyi Siti who allowed it, but Sri Poh Haci. In the midst of enjoying his beautiful dream, suddenly his nose felt the refreshing scent of coffee. As soon as he opened his eyes, it seemed that the sun had appeared on the eastern horizon and a beautiful girl was standing beside him.
“Please drink the coffee, Raden!” said the girl.
“Hi, what is your name? And how do you know my name? ” Raden Budog asked pretending not to know that the girl must be Nyi Siti’s child.
“My name is Sir Poh Haci, Nyi Siti’s son,” replied the girl introducing herself.
Apparently, Sri Poh Haci secretly fell in love with the handsome Raden Budog. After living in the village for several days, Raden Budog managed to establish love with Sri Poh Haci and they agreed to get married. In fact, Nyi Siti does not agree if her child marries a young man whose origins are unknown. Moreover, he knew that the young man was stubborn. However, because he didn’t want to disappoint his son’s heart, he was forced to bless their marriage.
After marrying Sri Poh Haci, Raden Budog settled in the village. Whenever his wife plays the mortar with the village girls, he always comes to watch it because he is happy to hear the tone of the mortar and occasionally learns to play the mortar. Increasingly, Raden Budog is happier playing the mortar so he sometimes forgets the time. He was so happy, he still played the mortar even on Fridays. In fact, his wife had previously told him that playing the mortar on Friday was highly desirable.
The village elders repeatedly warned against this, but the stubborn Raden Budog ignored him and continued playing mortar on Fridays. Raden Budog’s behavior got worse, he continued to beat the mortar while jumping happily here and there like a lutung (black long tailed monkey).
“Looking around! There is a langur playing with a mortar! ” shouted the residents.
Apparently, Raden Budog did not realize that he had become a monkey. How shocked he was after seeing that his hands and feet were covered with hair. After feeling his face and feeling that it was covered with hair, he immediately rushed into the forest on the edge of the village. Since then, Raden Budog became a langur and never returned to his original form as a human.
Meanwhile, Sri Poh Haci felt very embarrassed by the incident. Unable to bear the shame, he left his hometown secretly and disappeared somewhere. According to the story, Sri Poh Haci has transformed into the Goddess of Rice. To commemorate Sri Poh Haci’s skill in playing lesung, the local people call the village the name Kampung Lesung. Because it is located on a cape, the village is named Tanjung Lesung.
