The Origin of Rawa Pening

Rawa Pening is a big lake in Central Java. It is famous for its legend. People near the lake like to share a story about the origin of the lake.

Once upon a time, a poor little boy came into a little village. He was very hungry and weak. He knocked on every door in the village and asked for some food. But nobody cared about him. Nobody wanted to help the little boy.

Finally, a generous woman helped him. She gave him shelter and meal. When the boy wanted to leave, this old women gave him a ‘lesung’, a big wooden mortal for pounding rice. She reminded him, “ please remember, if there is a flood you must save yourself. Use this ‘lesung’ as a boat”. The ‘lesung’ was heavy but he was happy to have it. He thanked the old woman.

The little boy continued on his journey. While he was passing through the village, he saw many people gathering on a field. The boy came closer and saw a stick stuck in the ground. People challenged each other to pull out that stick. Everybody tried, but no one succeeded.

“can I try?” asked the little boy. The crowd laughed mockingly.

The Boy Wanted To Try His Luck so he stepped forward and pulled out the stick. He could do it very easily. Everybody was dumbfounded.

Suddenly, from the hole left by the stick, water spouted out it didn’t stop until it flooded the village. And no one was safe from the water except the little boy and the generous old woman who gave him shelter and a meal. As she told him, he used the ‘lesung’ as a boat and picked up the old woman. The whole village became a huge lake. It is now known as Rawa Pening Lake in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia.