Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Dayang Sumbi. Dayang Sumbi was a daughter of a king named Sungging Perbankara from a big kingdom in west java. Dayang Sumbi was so pretty. Because of it, many kings of different kingdoms fought each other to make Dayang Sumbi as their wife. Because of that reason, Dayang Sumbi preferred to live alone in the forest. Dayang Sumbi asked for permission to her father to live in the forest with her loyal dog, Tumang. Sungging Perbankara had no other choices, it was his daughter’s intention and also it would be the best way to bring peace to the Kingdom. So, Sungging Perbankara let Dayang Sumbi to live in the forest.
One day, when Dayang Sumbi was weaving, the hank of thread she used fell into the ground. She was lazy to take it over and over again. She then murmured “If there is someone who brings that hank to me, I will marry him.” Unexpectedly, Tumang came and took the hank and gave it to Dayang Sumbi. Tumang was not an ordinary dog. A legend said that Tumang used to be a God who was cursed and sent down to the earth because of a mistake he made. Dayang Sumbi had promised and she knew she had to keep her promise, if not, God would be angry. Dayang Sumbi and Tumang finally married. And in the day when they married, Tumang turned to be what he was to be, a God with a lovely face. Shortly, from this marriage, they were given a son named Sangkuriang.
Sangkuriang grew to be a smart, handsome, and strong boy. All his days were spent with Tumang which he considered as a loyal dog, not as his father. One day, Sankuriang was asked by his mother, Dayang Sumbi, to hunt a deer. Dayang Sumbi wanted to cook deer’s liver, her favorite food.
Sangkuriang and Tumang began to hunt a deer. After hunting all day with empty-handed, Sangkuriang worried he could not bring what his beloved mother wanted. Thinking shortly, he took his arrow and shot Tumang and took the liver, then went home and gave it to his mother.
At home Sangkuriang gave the liver to his Mom. However, dayang Sumbi relized that it was not deer’s liver but dog’s liver, Tumang. She was angry and she hit Sangkuriang with a spoon. She sent her son away with a big wound on his head.
Eventhough Sangkuriang knew that he was wrong. But why his mother sent him away because of killing a dog. It made him sad. Sangkurinag then decided to go away and never came back. He travelled around the world, wondered new places, and met different people. Years had passed, now Sangkurang had become stronger even more powerful than before.
Sangkuriang and Dayang Sumbi loved each other. However, Dayang Sumbi then realized that the man she loved was his son after noticing there was a big scar on his head, a scar of the wound she gave that day. To undo his intention to marry her, Dayang Sumbi then asked two impossible things as marriage requirements.
“If you want to marry me, you should make a big lake and a boat for me in one night.” Dayang Sumbi asked.“I will give whatever you want.” Sangkuriang agreed.
With all his mighty power, Sangkuriang built a lake by dammed Citarum River and made a big boat. Worried Sangkuriang will finish them all, Dayang Sumbi prayed to the God to help her so Sangkuriang could not finish the tasks. Suddenly, the eastern horizon lit up and the morning came. Sangkuriang had to stop his works which he had not completed yet.
Thinking of his effort was useless. Angrily, he kicked the boat so it up-side down. A legend said that the boat later become a mountain which well known as Tangkuban Perahu mountain. Tangkuban means up-side down and Perahu means boat.