Parahyangan

Parahyangan (priangan) is the another name for West Java province.

West Java has the easiest access to Jakarta being merely an enclave in this province. Stretching from the Sunda Strait to the Central Java border, a mountain range passes through the center from east to west and peaks into smoldering volcanoes.

This province has its own unique culture and language, both called Sundanese which is also used to call its people. The ancient kingdoms of Tarumanegara, Pajajaran, Banten and Cirebon would make interesting studies for the student of archaeology Cirebon is located on the border between West and Central Java, having a mixed culture originating from the ancient Cirebon and Banten kingdoms, resulting in similar customs and dialects of the two people, although Banten is located at the extreme western part of the province.

The Province has a great number of attractions, from the wildlife reserve of Ujung Kulon on the south-western tip of Java and the isolated communities of the mysterious Baduy to the unspoiled beaches, the royal palaces of Cirebon, the world renowned botanical garden in Bogor, and beautiful Pangandaran Beach and Nature Preservation in Ciamis.

The road from Jakarta to Bandung passes through a beautiful panorama of mountains, paddy fields, tea plantations, and various holiday resorts. An expressway connects the crowded capital city with Bogor and the mountain areas, and onward to Bandung. It has a number of sea resorts on its western and southern coasts which have modern hotels and are popular during the weekends.

The Sundanese people are soft-spoken. Most of them are moslem, so we can see strong islamic values in their lives. They possess natural friendliness and politeness . They have a strong sense of helping each other when in need.

The sundanesse have unique musical instrument called "angklung". Angklung is an instrument made from bamboo pipes which can produce a melodious tone. Another interesting thing from sundanesse art & culture is "wayang golek". Wayang Golek is a specific art of West Java which has survived for many generations. It is the play of figures carved and painted on wood, shaped the characters in the episodes of Mahabrata and Ramayana. Wayang is performed not merely for entertainment but also functions as teaching religion and philosophy. Wayang golek is performed by a "dalang"', who relates story in the whole night, acting as narrator, operator and performer all together. Beside that, there are still another kindof art and culture in Parahyangan such as; various traditional dance, "sisingaan", "kecapi degung", "sunda gamelan", "pencak silat", etc.