West Java

West Java Province (Indonesia: Province Jawa Barat, acronym JaBar, also known as Sundanese or Jawa Kulon)  is located at part of western Java Island. The enchanting of Sunda land stretches from Sunda Strait in the west to the borders of Central Java in the east. The locals' people know West Java Province as the Land of Sunda. The region is primarily mountainous, with rich green valleys hugging lofty volcanic peaks, many of which surround the capital of West Java province.

Sundanese share Java island with Javanese people. They primarily live in their home province of West Java. Although Sundanese live in the same island with Javanese, they consider themselves a distinct cultural area called Pasundan or Tatar Sunda. Someone moving from West Java Province to Central or East Java Provinces, is literally said to be moving from Sunda to Java. Bandung

Basic Information

Country                     Indonesia
Capital                      Bandung
Governor                  Ahmad Heryawan
Languages                 Indonesian (official),
                                 Sundanese (regional)
Time zone                 WIB (UTC+07:00)

Geography

West Java borders Jakarta and Banten Province to the west, and Central Java to the east. To the north is the Java Sea. To the south is the Indian Ocean. Unlike most other provinces in Indonesia which have their capitals in coastal area, the provincial capital, Bandung, is located in the mountainous area in the centre of the province. Banten Province was formerly part of West Java Province but was created a separate province in 2000.

Tourism

Endowed with natural beauty and rich culture, tourism is also an important industry in West Java. The Puncak area and Bandung have long been known as popular weekend destinations for Jakartans. Today Bandung has developed into a chic and fashionable shopping destination, popular not only among local Indonesian especially Jakartans, but also a popular shopping destination for neighboring Malaysian and Singaporeans. The ancient coastal city of Cirebon is also popular as cultural tourism destination since the city has several kratons and many historical sites such as Gua Sunyaragi. Other popular tourism destinations include the Bogor Botanical Garden, Taman Safari Indonesia, Tangkuban Perahu crater, Ciater hot springs, Kawah Putih crater to the south of Bandung, Pangandaran beach, and various mountain resorts in Cianjur, Garut, Tasikmalaya, and Kuningan.

                                                             Mount Tangkuban perahu

                                                                Gua Sunyaragi, Cirebon

                                                                     Cultures

Music

Gamelan Degung Orchestra Gamelan orchestra The musical arts of Sunda, which is an expression of the emotions of Sundanese culture, express politeness and grace of Sundanese. The region of Cirebon retains its own distinct musical traditions,  the two most frequently heard are Gamelan Pelog and Gamelan Prawa
Cirebon also retains specialized Gamelan ensembles including: Sekaten, which is played in the Kratons to mark important times in the Islamic calendar. Denggung, also a Kraton ensemble which is believed to have a number of "supernatural powers". And Renteng, an ensemble found in both Cirebon and Parahyangan that is known for its loud and energetic playing style.

Tembang Sunda is a genre of Sundanese vocal music accompanied by a core ensemble of two kacapi (zither) and a suling (bamboo flute). Tembang means song or poem and Sunda is a geographical, historical, and cultural construct which signifies home for the Sundanese people of Indonesia.

                                                                       Suling

Kacapi suling is tembang Sunda minus vocal. Tarawangsa is a genuine popular art is performed on ensemble consists of tarawangsa and the jentreng . Three main types of Sundanese Bamboo Ensembles are angklung, calung, and arumba.

                                                                     Angklung

                                                                         arumba.

                                                                           Calung

Puppetry or Wayang Golek  is a traditional form of puppetry from Sunda. Unlike the better-known leather shadow puppets (wayang kulit) found in the rest of Java and Bali, wayang golek puppets are made from wood and are three-dimensional. Puppetry or Wayang Golek is one of the distinctive arts of Sunda land which is very popular. The word "wayang" is often in connecting with the "bayang(shadow)" it is closely related with the wayang kulit (shadow puppets ) are usually played by using the screen. So that is seen by viewers is that there are shadows on the screen. There is also an opinion that the word comes from the word wayang, wayang means reflects or shadow of the side of human life in general.

                                                                       Puppertry

                                                     Sundanese Dance
Jaipongan is probably the most popular traditional social dance of Sundanese people. It can performed in solo, in group, or in pair.

Tari Merak (Peafowl Dance) is a female dance inspired by the movements of a peafowl and its feathers blended with the classical movements of Sundanese dance.

                                                      Peafowl Dance West Java

                                                                  Jaipong Dance

Folktales and Legend Stories

Among the most well known folktale and stories are:
Mundinglaya Dikusumah, which tells of Mundinglaya visiting Jabaning Langit to find layang Salaka Domas.
Lutung Kasarung, tells the life of a beautiful princes, in the era of Pasir Batang kingdom, a vassal of Sunda kingdom. She faces the evil of her older sister willing to seize her right as a queen.
Ciung Wanara, tells of the fight of two princes of Sunda kingdom and the history of Cipamali river (present-day Brebes river) as a boundary between Sundanese and Javanese territories.
Sangkuriang, which tells the story of the creation of Mount Tangkuban Parahu and the ancient lake Bandung.[


Toll Roads
Cipularang toll roads (highway) is acronym of Cikampek, Purwakarta, Padalarang. This 41 km long expressway which connects Jakarta to Bandung