THE
LEGEND OF PARI TEMPLES
A long time ago,
there lived an old man in the Penanggungan Mountain. His name was Kiai Gede
Penanggungan. He had supernatural power. Kiai Gede Penanggungan had a very
beautiful daughter named Dewi Walangangin who was not married yet. Kiai Gede
Penanggungan prayed days and nights for her daughter to have a husband. One
day, a young handsome man came to his palace. The name of the man was Jaka
Pandelengan. He wanted to be Kiai Gede Penanggungan’s student. Kiai Gede agreed
to have Jaka as his student with one condition that he would marry her
daughter. Jaka Pandelengan and Dewi Walangangin soon got married. Kiai Gede
Penanggungan taught Jaka many things.
After several years, now it was time
for the couple to live separately from Kiai Gede Penanggungan. They would move
to another village. Kiai Gede gave some seeds of pari or paddy to the couple.
He asked the couple to plant the seeds. He also warned the couple not to be
arrogant when they were rich. He wanted the couple to help poor people. The
couple started a new life. They planted the seed. Soon, the seeds grew and
became a lot of rice. Now the couple became very rich. The poor neighbours came
to the couple to ask for some pari seeds, but the couple refused to help them.
Kiai Gede heard about the couple’s bad
behavior. Soon he visited the couple. He met them when the couple was working
in the field. Kiai Gede talked to the couple. He reminded the couple not to be
arrogant, but the couple ignored him. They said nothing to Kiai Gede. Kiai Gede
got very angry. Then he said, “You two are like temples. You do not listen to
me.” Right after he said those words, an incredible thing happened. Slowly,
Jaka and Dewi turned into temples. Because the temples stood among the pari,
people then named them as Pari Temples.
