Lutung Kasarung

Lutung Kasarung is a Sundanese folklore tale from West Java, Indonesia. Set in the Pasir Batang Kingdom, it tells the tale of a magical lutung (a type of black monkey) who helped a beautiful princess, Purbasari Ayuwangi, when her older sister attempted to rob her of her status as crown princess. Lutung Kasarung in Sundanese language which literally means "The Lost Ape", is from an old Sundanese quatrain.

The theme and moral of the legend are similar to those of the European folktale "Beauty and the Beast".

Before it was put in written form, this legend was transmitted via Pantun Sunda, a traditional Sundanese oral performance. It was later written down by Sundanese writers, in both the Sundanese and Indonesian languages.

In the heaven called Svargaloka, there lived a handsome and powerful god named Batara Guruminda Kahyangan. He had almost become the highest god in the heaven; but in his pride, he defied Batari Sunan Ambu, the highest mother goddess in Sundanese mythology. As punishment, he was cursed and banished from heaven and incarnated upon earth as a black lutung monkey, in which body he was condemned to live until he could learn humility and earn the sincere love of a woman.

Meanwhile, on earth, Prabu Tapa Agung, the aging king of Pasir Batang, had two daughters: Purbararang and Purbasari. Purbasari was kind and good-hearted, while her older sister Purbararang was wicked. Because of this, the king wanted Purbasari to succeed him when he retired.

This angered Purbararang, the elder daughter. With her fiancé Indrajaya, she went to a witch and asked her to cast a magical spell and potion upon Purbasari. The witch prepared a dangerous lulur (traditional body lotion) and Purbararang tricked Purbasari on using the lotion. The lulur left Purbasari with a rash all over her body. This illness was regarded as a curse from the gods, so Purbasari was exiled from the palace and driven to live in a shack in the jungle.

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