Historical Sites in Sumedang...

Beside tahu (a deep fried tofu), the uniqueness of Sumedang is its historical sites such as town squares, the Post Road, and the tomb of Tjut Nya' Dien. Sumedang still preserves the style of ancient town design, identified by the town square. There is a main town square in the center of the town which surrounded by many important buildings such as town-hall, museum, prison, mosque, court, market, offices, hotel, and schools. Almost every village has its own village square too, which is also surrounded by many important building. It’s make the activities are focused at certain areas. That town design was generally used by the Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic kingdoms at 13^th – 17^th century.

Sumedang is divided by a major road that connected Anyer (Banten) to Panarukan (East Java), called Jalan Pos. This is one of the tree lanes that we could use when we go from the western part of Java to the eastern ones. It was built at 18^th century when the Dutch still colonize our country. This road was built to deliver agricultural products, especially tea, from Bogor and Bandung to the other parts of Java. There is a historical spot in this road called Cadas Pangeran, 17 km from the town square. Cadas comes from its geographical characteristic which is rocky, so its construction is really difficult that causes many rodi (forced work) workers died. When Daendels (the governor general for that time) controlled the building process, he asked the Prince of Sumedang, Prince Kusumadinata IX to shake hands. But, the prince gave his left hand, while his right ones holding a keris (Javanese traditional sword). It proved that the prince didn’t agree with Daendels’ policies and ready to be at war to stop the rodi. That incident is immortalized by an inscription with Sundanese writing and a statue of the prince.

The most important site in Sumedang is the tomb of Tjut Nya’ Dien, a woman hero from Aceh. Her tomb was located merely hundreds meter from the town square, side by side with the cemetery of the prince’s families. Her tomb, renovated in 1987, is covered by marble with Latin and Arabian writing as its ornament and Aceh style roof. There is the correct spell of her name in her gravestone, Tjut Nya’ Dien. The ‘kuncén’ (guard) of her tomb said that almost of Acehnese executives have visited the tomb include the GAM soldiers and the TNI who will destroy the separatist movement in Aceh.