sangkuriang

Sangkuriang is a figure from Sundanese folklore in West Java, Indonesia. The legend centers on a young man named Sangkuriang and his mother, Dayang Sumbi (also known as Nyi Subang). Dayang Sumbi is portrayed as a prized princess who raises Sangkuriang after an early separation. As they grow closer, they fall in love, not realizing their kinship due to Dayang Sumbi’s long-ago blessing of youth and the secrecy surrounding Sangkuriang’s birth.

When Dayang Sumbi discovers that the man she has grown to love is her son, she refuses the marriage. In many versions she tests him with arduous tasks to prevent the union; the most famous challenge is to build a boat overnight. Sangkuriang completes the task by dawn, but Dayang Sumbi recognizes him as her son and laments the forbidden match. In anger or despair, Sangkuriang kicks the nearly finished boat, which in the legend becomes the landscape feature known as Tangkuban Perahu—the “upturned boat”—a volcano near Bandung, whose crater resembles a boat turned on its side.

The tale exists in multiple variants within Sundanese oral tradition and has become a cultural symbol of West Java, appearing in literature, theater, and local tourism. The name Sangkuriang is of Sundanese origin, often interpreted as "young man," though the story’s details and names vary by region. The legend is commonly cited as a cautionary tale about love, pride, and the consequences of forbidden relationships, with a strong association to the volcanic landscape of the region.