Shafts of Secrecy and Stealth...
Two historical underground water channels in the suburbs of the mid-size towns of Blitar and Kediri in East Java that used to be employed for guerilla warfare are now popular tourist destinations among adventurers. Supardi Asmorobangun explored some parts of the many kilometers.
Thirty-three years ago the Indonesian political atmosphere was shaken by the unpopular coup d’etat that changed the entire political situation of the country, from being a communist stronghold to a western-styled democracy...
The September of 1965 failed coup was actually a political, high-level clandestine war between the CIA-backed presidential hopeful Soeharto and the partly communist-backed incumbent President Soekarno. The following historical phases were simple, as it has been ingeniously choreographed: the communist party collapsed, Soekarno toppled, and the young, 'Smiling General’ Soeharto rose as the new leader. He was elected president in 1967, but eventually, like his forerunner, Asia’s longest-ruling president was forced to step down in 1998 through another bloodstained phase when thousands of people were killed in a similar social upheaval.
The cost for the 1965 coup was simply unimaginable. Close to a million innocent followers of the party were killed, many of them tortured to death or virtually "slaughtered" by the followers of the right wing. An international humanitarian effort even suggests that casualties were double the number.
Yet the communist 'cleanup’ campaign was not completed successfully, as a group of high-ranking personnel managed to slip between the general’s fingers and through the military barricade in the capital of Jakarta and embark on a dangerous boat voyage across the Indian Ocean to arrive on the southern coast of Blitar in East Java. There they built their stronghold and kept posing a danger to the new military government for the next three years.
A couple of military deployments sent to crush them ended in spectacular failure. Soeharto’s men simply couldn’t figure out where the group of leftists were hiding.
Only in 1967 did a massive military operation named Tritura involving farmers, village students, fishermen, and shepherds managed to unearth the secret. They found a massive cave capable of accommodating thousands of people hidden kilometers away from the river-covered mouthpiece just few dozen meters from the treacherous Indian Ocean.
Uniquely enough, the secret room was actually discovered by a village boy, through indeed a unique historical account.
This group of men supplied themselves with ammunition and provisions, enough to live on for years. Yet it seemed they had forgotten to include brushes and toothpaste among their amenities, so they had to ask a local boy to regularly do their shopping at a local warung. This action led to their capture.
Embuletuk, the name of the cave, indeed is a perfect hideaway. It is located far from the nearby town. In the 1960s, I am sure the cave must have been buried under the heavy forest, so that only the brave would ever enter.
For travelers like us, the cave posed a difficult challenge, so a local guide was a must. In almost complete darkness we had to be very careful in choosing the right steps, as some are at waist or breast depth, otherwise we would easily be carried away by the strong currents into several swirling pools of a few meters in depth. In some places the river simply narrows, creating such strong currents that eventually a steel-wired temporary bridge was made.
The cave is actually an underwater river flowing from an uncharted location. Not even our guides know where it begins.
"The good thing about having Petromax (paraffin) lamps instead of electric lamps is that we can measure how thin the oxygen is in the air," said on of our guides, who has explored to the end of the tunnel. "Once the lamp starts to dim and weaken, it means that the oxygen has started to decrease and that is the maximum distance a man can physically attempt," he added.
11th Century Cave
This tunnel is believed to be remnant of the 11th Century kingdom of Daha (Kediri), a perfect man-made underground channel located beneath the 11th Century Hindu temple of Surowono in Pare (otherwise nicknamed by Princeton University academic Prof. Clifford Geertz, as the small town of 'Mojokuto’ in his popular book, The Javanese Religion).
People believe that the very long tunnel is part of the secret hideaway of the kingdom located nearby the temple. While people say "several kilometers in length", nobody is sure how accurate the calculation really is.
The underground passageway branches into a labyrinth of man-sized tunnels that form a web-like underground subway that nobody is sure of how far the furthest distance is, nor where each of the branches lead to. Many believe that some of the branches lead to other temples of similar ages, including Tegowangi and Tondowongso Temple, about 10 to 15 kilometers away from Surowono.
The cave has claimed its share of victims, as enthusiasts have become lost or run out of oxygen deep within it.
"That’s why we block many of the branches with cement so that visitors won’t go astray," said our guide.
Uniquely, each tunnel is flooded with waist-deep crystal clear water, allowing curious adventurers to be refreshed at all times. Moreover, the water level remains the same during heavy rains or during the dry season, thus assuring a safe passage year-round. ■ |
Text and photos by Supardi Asmorobangun
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