Legend of Putri Ayu and the Origin of Trunyan Village

Folklore from Bali

In ancient times, there was a king from Java who had 4 children, namely three sons and a daughter. They really wanted to go out to find new things outside the palace. Unfortunately, as children of the king they were not allowed to go far from the palace grounds. They only spent the days in the palace.

One day when the four of them were chatting in Tamansari, they smelled something very fragrant. A strange fragrance that they had never smelled in their lives.

"I smell a fragrant fragrance, do you feel it too?" the eldest asked his younger siblings.

"We feel it too, big brother," said the three eldest siblings.

"Do you know where the fragrance comes from?" asked the eldest.

The youngest, who was the king's only daughter, spoke up. "I don't know for sure where the fragrance comes from, but I am sure that the fragrance comes from the east," explained the youngest daughter.

They were very interested in knowing the origin of the smell. Then they asked their parents for permission to find where the fragrant smell came from.

They walked east, along the north coast. They continued walking eastward, even crossing the island of Bali. First they set foot on the eastern border of the island of Bali, namely in Ciluk Karangasem Village, in the Buleleng area. Here the four of them smelled an even more fragrant smell. The fragrant smell intensified when they arrived in the Batur area.

Their journey also faced obstacles. They move on regardless of natural obstacles and obstacles. Of course, they also went in and out of the wilderness which was very dense and difficult to navigate, and encountered wild animals such as tigers and snakes, but they got through it all well.

Arriving at the foot of Mount Batur, the youngest daughter fell in love with the view there, and decided to stay at Pura Batur on the slopes of Mount Batur.

"I'm happy to see this place," said the younger princess. “The natural views are truly enchanting. I want to stay here. I don't want to continue my journey Brother. Allow me!”

Her three older siblings disagreed but the princess remained adamant. Finally she was left there alone.

"If that's what you want, please stay here," answered the oldest brother.

Then the princess had the title of a goddess, her name was Ratu Ayu Mas Maketeng.

His three brothers returned to continue their journey looking for a sweet smell that they had not yet found. They arrived at a flat place to the southwest of Lake Batur. The three heard the chirping of a bird. Overjoyed at hearing the bird's voice, the third prince shouted, "That bird's voice is very nice! I want to catch that bird!"

The eldest brother didn't like his younger brother's behavior. He immediately asked his brother to stop, "Don't continue with that desire, we still have a long way to go."

"No! I still want to chase the bird and catch it," the younger brother didn't pay attention to his older brother's words, and just continued chasing the bird.

The bird perched on a low tree branch, but when it was about to be caught, the bird suddenly flew high. He shouted for the bird.

His behavior made his eldest brother feel embarrassed and angry. His older brother also punished him.

"Don't come wandering around anymore, I don't like seeing your behavior!" said the eldest brother. "You don't belong with us."

"No! I have to come! "I want to continue wandering, I want to know where that good smell comes from," answered his younger brother while continuing to whine asking to come along.

Then his older brother kicked his younger brother so he fell cross-legged. He turned into a statue. The incarnation of the third prince was given the title Ratu Sakti Sang Hyang Jero. The statue resides (melinggih) in a sacred building called Meru Tumpang Pitu, Kedisan Village.

After leaving their younger brother who had become a statue, the two princes continued their wanderings, along the eastern shore of Lake Batur.

When they arrived in another area, they found two women. One of them was looking for lice on the other's head. The second prince was suddenly very interested in joining the two women who were looking for fleas. They haven't seen woman for a long time.

Excited to meet the woman, the second prince greeted the two women. His younger brother's actions aroused his older brother's dislike.

"Don't come anymore!" his brother snapped. “Your actions disappoint my heart. It's inappropriate!"

"I want to keep going. I don't want to be left here alone. No!" His brother whined.

The second prince kept whining, still wanting to keep going. Finally the older brother was very angry, then kicked his younger brother. Due to the hard kick, his younger brother fell face down. In that situation, the older brother left his younger sibling with a heart full of anger.

The second prince eventually became the village head of that place. The village was named Abang Dukuh, given the name Abang because the village was originally part of Abang Village, while Dukuh means face down.

The eldest brother finally continued his journey on his own.

After leaving his younger siblings in the villages, the eldest prince continued his journey north, along the very steep eastern edge of Lake Batur. Finally he arrived at land again.

At that time he felt tired because he had just descended a steep cliff. He wanted to rest, then take shelter under a shady tree.

However, his intention to rest was abandoned, because the strange fragrance that disturbed his soul was now getting stronger and stronger. He felt curious, then quickly stood up and walked over to a large tree that really caught his attention.

There he found a beautiful girl who really charmed his heart. The girl was kneeling alone under the Taru Menyan tree. Meanwhile the fragrant smell became stronger and seemed to roll around the place. It turned out that this tree was the source of the fragrant smell he had been looking for.

The eldest prince was stunned to see the beautiful girl who was like an angel. He thought the girl was a goddess. He was worried that the goddess would soon fly into the sky, so he quickly approached the girl, then even hugged the goddess tightly. Of course, the girl felt very embarrassed to be treated like that, but because she basically liked her eldest prince, she kept quiet and forgave the young man's actions.

"O beautiful goddess, who are you? Are you an angel?" said the eldest prince. She smiled.

“I am an ordinary human being. If you really like me, please propose to me. I still have an older brother as a representative of my parents," said her.

Then he faced her older brother to propose.

“I accept your proposal. You can marry my sister, as long as you fulfill the conditions," said his brother.

"Tell me what conditions I must fulfill," elder prince answered.

"You must be willing to become the leader of this village."

"I do!" said the eldest prince.

Because the eldest prince was willing to accept responsibility as village leader, his proposal was accepted. The wedding party was immediately held with great fanfare.

The eldest prince lives happily with his wife. He fulfilled his promise. All useful skills and knowledge obtained in Java are taught to the local population, so that the agricultural land, both rice fields and fields in the area, become fertile.

The village was named Trunyan, which is taken from the names taru and menyan. Taru means tree, while Menyan means fragrant. The first prince was given the title Ratu Sakti Pancering Jagat who was eventually believed to be the supreme deity of the Trunyan people. Meanwhile, his wife was given the title Ratu Ayu Pingit Dalam Dasar and was believed to be the ruler of Lake Batur, to the point of being called the Goddess of Lake Batur.

The first prince, who had the title Ratu Sakti Pancering Jagat, led his area wisely. Not long afterward, the village turned into a small kingdom that still arouses curiosity among people out there. This curiosity arose from the fragrant smell that came from the menyan tree or taru menyan in the village. 

Ratu Sakti Pancering Jagat finally decided to his people that if someone dies, their body should be placed on the ground and under the incense tree. The body was left to rot on the ground. This is intended to neutralize the fragrant smell of the incense tree. So that the village no longer arouses curiosity for outsiders to come to it or even carry out attacks, just because of the fragrant aroma of the incense trees. Since then, the people of Trunyan Village have always kept the bodies of people who have died under the incense tree.