Kelimutu Lake, a beautiful lake in Flores Island, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. This lake located at the top of the Mount Kelimutu in Kabupaten Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur. This mountain is an active volcano recorded has been erupted tremendously big and spewed black lava in 1830. In the year of 1869-1870 this mountain erupted with lava and the last eruption was in 1968. According to the type of the eruption this mountain has been spewing lava, gas, and volcanic ash.
The named "Kelimutu" is compounding of two words "Keli" and "Mutu". Keli means mountain and Mutu means boil. It means this mountain can explode so big when erupted. This mountain famous of three lakes with three different color. They are red, blue, and white. And uniquely these colors always changed through the time. What did make Kelimutu Lake can changed their colors with uncertain time? According to the myth every time these lakes changed the color, natural disaster would happen. These lakes have many myth stories.
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| Kelimutu Lakes |
The width of these three lakes is 1.051.000 meter square with water volume 1.200 million meter cubic. The border between the lakes is a sheer wall stone and easy to avalanche. This border or wall is so steep with tilt 70 degrees with elevation around 50 meter to 150 meter.
Almost a century ago in 1915 a researcher from Netherlands, Van Such Telen discovered these lakes. The beauty of these lakes became popular and famous after Y. Bouman described these lakes on his writing in 1929. After this, many tourists came to visited these lakes. Since February 26th, 1992, the area of Kelimutu assigned as national nature conservation.
These three lakes have a folktale. The story begun at the top of the Mount Kelimutu called "Buariya", the named for a forest that always cloudy. Long time ago in this forest lived "Konde Ratu" with her people. There were two respected figures, one is "Ata Polo" the cruel witch who liked to ate human and the other one is "Ata Mbupu" the good witch. Although they were different and opposite, they were friend and bowed to Konde Ratu.
One day a pair of orphaned children came to Ata Mbupu for protection and Ata Mbupu protected them with one condition, they could not left the field of Ata Mbupu because he was afraid Ata Polo would ate them. But Ata Polo has smelled these two kids when he visited Ata Mbupu's field and he wanted to ate them. Ata Mbupu asked Ata Polo to waited until they grew up to be teen so they would have more meat and more delicious. Ata Polo was agree.
By time these two kids became teens or "Koo Fai" or young woman and "Nuwa Muri" or young man. They asked Ata Mbupu for a place to hide to avoided Ata Polo for eating them. When they success to escaped to a cave, Ata Polo angry to Ata Mbupu for betrayed him. They were fighting terribly created earthquake and big fire. Ata Mbupu was lose because he was too old. Ata Mbupu decided to gone inside the earth. Then Ata Polo smelled the cave where those two teens hiding. But Ata Polo died cause the earth swallowed him. And the cave where Koo Fai and Nuwa Muri hiding was broke cause the earthquake and bared them.
After a moment of this accident, the place where Ata Mbupu gone inside the earth created a lake called "Tiwu Ata Mbupu" with blue color. And the place where Ata Polo swallowed created a lake called "Tiwu Ata Polo" with blood color. And the place where Koo Fai and Nuwa Muri hided created a lake called "Tiwu Nawa Muri Koo Fai" with green color. Tiwu means lake. Tiwu Ata Polo believed is the place for the spirits of bad people gathering. Tiwu Ata Mbupu is the place for the spirits of good old people. Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai is the place for the spirits of the young people. The people around these lakes believe anyone who die will gather or stay in these three lakes.
When these lakes changing color, the local people who live near to this lakes give offerings or gifts for the spirits of the people who have die. This ceremony called "Patika" means eating. This ceremony held in a field near to the lakes. The ceremony started with a traditional dance "Tari Gawi" leads by the leader or the head or a figure. And then laying down the offerings or the gifts for the ancestors. The local people who live near this lake is an ethnic called "Lio".
Beside this folk story, these lakes are so beautiful. The lakes and the mountain surrounded with beautiful green forest. Green forest means fresh air. You can enjoy beautiful forest and fresh air. There are also monkeys live in this forest or this mountain. They are funny. And on the top of the mountain near to the lakes there is a spot like a monument for the visitors to enjoy the beauty and the colors of the lakes. This is also a good spot for you if you want to enjoy the sunrise. Combination between the light of the sunrise with the colors of the lakes are really a perfect beauty and a perfect moment. And if you come when the traditional ceremony is held, you can join the local people, you can dance with them but not modern dance, it's traditional dance. So what do you get from visiting these lakes? You got the mountain, the lakes with three different color, climbing activity, beautiful forest, monkey, tradition, sunrise, and fresh air. Many attractions in one spot. So come and visit these lakes. No other lake like this with three different color.
