In the month of Independence, it's time to remember the many stories of the Dutch colonial era. One of them is a secret passage to save the Sultan of Cirebon from the colonial government.
Taman Sari Gua Sunyaragi Cirebon has a high historical value. Besides being designed as a water park and a place for playing the royal family. Sunyaragi Cave also witnessed the family of the Cirebon Kasepuhan Palace to save themselves when armed contact with the Dutch invaders.
The historian and historian of Cirebon Jajat Sudrajat said the Sultan of Kasepuhan Cirebon V built Balai Kambang, Gua Arga Jumut, and Pelataran Pande Kemasan in Sunyaragi Cave in 1783 to 1788.
Jajat explained that in the construction of the Pande courtyard, the packaging was made for weapons and arrows. The Netherlands suspects the manufacture of weapons in the Pande Packaging yard.
"The colonial government accused the court of treason, for building Pande Packaging. In 1789 where the weaponry was destroyed, there was no record of the exact time," Jajat told detikTravel when found in Sunyaragi Cave Cirebon, Kesambi District, Cirebon City, West Java.
However, Jajat said that according to the record, what the colonial government wanted was not Pande Packaging. What is sought is an underground rescue tunnel that has been made by the royal family.
The colonial government, he continued, had already sniffed out the existence of a rescue alley for the sultan's family. The hallway, continued Jajat, connects the Sunyaragi Cave, the Kasepuhan Palace, and the Gunung Jati area which is currently a complex of Sunan Gunung Jati Tombs.
"The Chinese monument in the Sunyaragi Cave is believed to be the door or direction to the escape hall. But, there is no definite step from the government to prove this," Jajat said.
Jajat said of the records he found in the underground passageway for the sultan's family not more than five meters deep. In fact, the story of the underground corridor, he continued, had shocked one of the Cirebon Urban Development Project (CUDP) project workers.
"In the past CUDP excavated workers were shocked when they found an old brick under the ground. This corridor must be looked for, whether the government dares to trace the density of the existing population," he said.
The Chinese monument that is believed to be the entrance to the escape route of the sultan's family is in the western part of the Sunyaragi Cave. Jajat said that Monuman China is a form of appreciation for one of the leaders from China.
While the Independence Day long weekend holiday, tourists can make Cirebon a holiday destination. At Taman Sari Gua Sunyaragi we can enjoy the atmosphere and history of opposing the Dutch colonial.