127. The Legend of Hanging Rock - Legenda Batu Gantung - North Sumatera

Once upon a time, in a remote village on the outskirts of Lake Toba in North Sumatra, there lived a husband and a wife with their beautiful daughter named Seruni. In addition to handsome, Seruni is also very diligent in helping parents work in the fields. Every day the little family working their farm located on the edge of Lake Toba, and the results are used to meet daily needs.

One day, Seruni went to the fields alone, due to there is a need both parents in a neighboring village. Seruni only accompanied by her beloved dog called the Toki.


Arriving at the farm, she was not working, but she just sat there, looking at the natural beauty of Lake Toba. Looks like she is facing a difficult problem solved. While the dog, the Toki, come sit next to her, staring at Seruni face as if he knew what she was thinking that his employer. Once in a while the dog was barking to distract the employer, but the employer still preoccupied with her thoughts.

Indeed, the last few days Seruni face always looked glum. She was very sad, because it will be married off by her parents at a young man who was her cousin. Though she had been having an affair with a young man and her choice has promised to build a happy home. She was very confused. On the one hand she does not want to disappoint her parents, and on the other hand if she is not able to say goodbye to her idol youth. Therefore felt unable to bear the heavy burden, she was getting desperate.

"Lord! I'm not able to live with this burden, "complained Seruni.

A few moments later, Seruni move from her seats. With tears loose, she walked slowly toward the Lake Toba. Apparently she wanted to end her life by jumping into Lake Toba's rugged steep. While the Toki, followed his master from behind while barking.

With a mind kept raging, Seruni walking towards a cliff regardless of the Lake Toba in its path. Unexpectedly, she suddenly plunged into a large gravel pit until deep into the bottom of the hole. Black rock that make the atmosphere in the hole it gets dark. Seruni was very frightened. On the basis of a dark hole, she felt the walls of rock that move about to snuggle on her.

"Help ......! Help......! Help me, Toki! "Seruni voice asking for help to her dog.

The Toki understand that the employer requires his help, but he can not do anything about it, except just barking at the mouth of the hole. Several times Seruni screaming for help, but the Toki really can not afford to help her. Finally she was getting desperate.

"Ah, I'd rather die than live long suffering," resigned Seruni.

Rock walls it's moving closer.


"Parapat ...! Parapat.. Parapat the rock ... "cried Seruni stone was sent down upon her..

While the employer knows Toki danger kept barking at the mouth of the hole. Felt unable to help his employer, he immediately ran back to the house to ask for help.

Arriving at his employer's house, Toki immediately approached Seruni parents a new chance coming from a neighboring village to walk to their house.

"Auggg ...! auggg ...! auggg ...! "the Toki barking while clawing at the ground to inform the parents that the Seruni in danger.

"Toki ..., where Seruni? What happened to her? "Asked the Seruni's father to the dog's.

"Auggg ...! auggg ...! auggg ...! "Toki kept barking the running back and forth to invite them to a place.

"My husband, it looks like Seruni in danger," said the Seruni's mother.

"You're right. The Toki invites us to follow him, "said the Seruni's father.

"But it was dark, My Husband. How do we get there? "said Seruni's Mother.

"I prepare the torch! I will be looking for help to neighbors, "cried the father.

Pretty soon, the whole neighborhood had gathered at the home page of Seruni father carrying the torch. After that they followed the Toki to the scene. Once they were in the field, the Toki directly toward the mouth of the hole. Then he barked as he held out his mouth stalling into the hole to tell citizens that Seruni was in the bottom of the hole.

Both parents Seruni immediately approached the mouth hole. What a surprise when they saw there was a hole big enough rock on the edge of their fields. In the pit was heard the faint sound of a woman: "Parapat ...! Parapat.. Parapat the rock ...!"

"My Husband, hear the sound of it! That's voice our daughter! exclaimed her panic.

"Yes! It sounds Seruni! "Replied the Seruni's father participated panic.

"But, why did she shout : parapat, parapat rock?" Said the mother.

"I do not know! It seems like there's something wrong in there, "the Seruni's father replied anxiously.

Mr. Farmer was trying to light up the hole with a torch, but the bottom of the hole was so deep that can not be penetrated by the light of torches.

"Seruniii ...! Seruniii ...! "Cried the father Seruni.

"Seruni ... my daughter! This mom and dad came to help you! "Shouted the mother participated.

Several times they cried, but did not get a response from Seruni. Only voice drifted Seruni who sent it docked for squeezing rock.

"Parapat ...! Parapat rock ...! Parapat!"

"Seruniiii ... my daughter!" Once again Seruni's mother screaming, crying hysterically.

Residents present at the place trying to help. One resident held out a piece of string to the bottom of the hole, but the rope was not touched at all. Seruni's Father increasingly concerned with the state of his daughter. He then decided to follow his plunge into the gravel pit.

"Mom, hold the torch!" Commands father.

"Where are you going?" Said the mother.

"I want to catch up Seruni into the hole," he replied firmly.

"Do not the father, very dangerous!" Prevent mother.

"Yes sir, the hole was very deep and dark," said one resident.

Seruni's father finally changed his mind. A moment later, the sudden sound of thunder. The earth shook violently as if to end. Gravel pit suddenly close itself. The cliffs at the edge of Lake Toba was falling. Seruni's father and mother and all the people ran to and fro to save themselves. They left the gravel pit mouth, so that poor Seruni can not be saved from the crush rock.

Some time after the earthquake stopped, suddenly appeared a large rock that resembles the body of a girl and as if hanging on the wall of the cliff at the edge of Lake Toba. Local people believe that it is the embodiment Seruni stone is crushed rock in the hole. By those rocks were then given the name "Hanging Rock".

A few days later, the news spread about the events that befall her. The residents flocked to the scene to see the "Hanging Rock" was. Residents who witnessed the incident told other people that before the hole closed, a voice: "... Parapat Parapat the rock ... parapat!"

Hence the word "parapat" are pronounced man and many are told, the week that was on the edge of Lake Toba was later given the name "Parapat". Parapat has now become a small town one very attractive tourist destination in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

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Alkisah, di sebuah desa terpencil di pinggiran Danau Toba Sumatera Utara, hiduplah sepasang suami-istri dengan seorang anak perempuannya yang cantik jelita bernama Seruni. Selain rupawan, Seruni juga sangat rajin membantu orang tuanya bekerja di ladang. Setiap hari keluarga kecil itu mengerjakan ladang mereka yang berada di tepi Danau Toba, dan hasilnya digunakan untuk mencukupi kebutuhan sehari-hari.

Pada suatu hari, Seruni pergi ke ladang seorang diri, karena kedua orang tuanya ada keperluan di desa tetangga. Seruni hanya ditemani oleh seekor anjing kesayangannya bernama si Toki.


Sesampainya di ladang, gadis itu tidak bekerja, tetapi ia hanya duduk merenung sambil memandangi indahnya alam Danau Toba. Sepertinya ia sedang menghadapi masalah yang sulit dipecahkannya. Sementara anjingnya, si Toki, ikut duduk di sebelahnya sambil menatap wajah Seruni seakan mengetahui apa yang dipikirkan majikannya itu. Sekali-sekali anjing itu menggonggong untuk mengalihkan perhatian sang majikan, namun sang majikan tetap saja asyik dengan lamunannya.

Memang beberapa hari terakhir wajah Seruni selalu tampak murung. Ia sangat sedih, karena akan dinikahkan oleh kedua orang tuanya dengan seorang pemuda yang masih saudara sepupunya. Padahal ia telah menjalin asmara dengan seorang pemuda pilihannya dan telah berjanji akan membina rumah tangga yang bahagia. Ia sangat bingung. Di satu sisi ia tidak ingin mengecewakan kedua orang tuanya, dan di sisi lain ia tidak sanggup jika harus berpisah dengan pemuda pujaan hatinya. Oleh karena merasa tidak sanggup memikul beban berat itu, ia pun mulai putus asa.

"Ya, Tuhan! Hamba sudah tidak sanggup hidup dengan beban ini,” keluh Seruni"

Beberapa saat kemudian, Seruni beranjak dari tempat duduknya. Dengan berderai air mata, ia berjalan perlahan ke arah Danau Toba. Rupanya gadis itu ingin mengakhiri hidupnya dengan melompat ke Danau Toba yang bertebing curam itu. Sementara si Toki, mengikuti majikannya dari belakang sambil menggonggong.

Dengan pikiran yang terus berkecamuk, Seruni berjalan ke arah tebing Danau Toba tanpa memperhatikan jalan yang dilaluinya. Tanpa diduga, tiba-tiba ia terperosok ke dalam lubang batu yang besar hingga masuk jauh ke dasar lubang. Batu cadas yang hitam itu membuat suasana di dalam lubang itu semakin gelap. Gadis cantik itu sangat ketakutan. Di dasar lubang yang gelap, ia merasakan dinding-dinding batu cadas itu bergerak merapat hendak menghimpitnya.

"Toloooonggg……! Toloooonggg……! Toloong aku, Toki!” terdengar suara Seruni meminta tolong kepada anjing kesayangannya.

Si Toki mengerti jika majikannya membutuhkan pertolongannya, namun ia tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa, kecuali hanya menggonggong di mulut lubang. Beberapa kali Seruni berteriak meminta tolong, namun si Toki benar-benar tidak mampu menolongnya. Akhirnya gadis itu semakin putus asa.

"Ah, lebih baik aku mati saja daripada lama hidup menderita,” pasrah Seruni.

Dinding-dinding batu cadas itu bergerak semakin merapat.

"Parapat… ! Parapat batu… Parapat!” seru Seruni menyuruh batu itu menghimpit tubuhnya.

Sementara si Toki yang mengetahui majikannya terancam bahaya terus menggonggong di mulut lubang. Merasa tidak mampu menolong sang majikan, ia pun segera berlari pulang ke rumah untuk meminta bantuan.

Sesampai di rumah majikannya, si Toki segera menghampiri orang tua Seruni yang kebetulan baru datang dari desa tetangga berjalan menuju rumahnya.

"Auggg…! auggg…! auggg…!” si Toki menggonggong sambil mencakar-cakar tanah untuk memberitahukan kepada kedua orang tua itu bahwa Seruni dalam keadaan bahaya.

"Toki…, mana Seruni? Apa yang terjadi dengannya?” tanya ayah Seruni kepada anjing itu.

"Auggg…! auggg…! auggg…!” si Toki terus menggonggong berlari mondar-mandir mengajak mereka ke suatu tempat.

"Pak, sepertinya Seruni dalam keadaan bahaya,” sahut ibu Seruni.

"Ibu benar. Si Toki mengajak kita untuk mengikutinya,” kata ayah Seruni.

"Tapi hari sudah gelap, Pak. Bagaimana kita ke sana?” kata ibu Seruni.

"Ibu siapkan obor! Aku akan mencari bantuan ke tetangga,” seru sang ayah.

Tak lama kemudian, seluruh tetangga telah berkumpul di halaman rumah ayah Seruni sambil membawa obor. Setelah itu mereka mengikuti si Toki ke tempat kejadian. Sesampainya mereka di ladang, si Toki langsung menuju ke arah mulut lubang itu. Kemudian ia menggonggong sambil mengulur-ulurkan mulutnya ke dalam lubang untuk memberitahukan kepada warga bahwa Seruni berada di dasar lubang itu.

Kedua orang tua Seruni segera mendekati mulut lubang. Alangkah terkejutnya ketika mereka melihat ada lubang batu yang cukup besar di pinggir ladang mereka. Di dalam lubang itu terdengar sayup-sayup suara seorang wanita: “Parapat… ! Parapat batu… Parapat!"

"Pak, dengar suara itu! Itukan suara anak kita! seru Ibu Seruni panik.

"Benar, bu! Itu suara Seruni!” jawab sang ayah ikut panik.

"Tapi, kenapa dia berteriak : parapat, parapatlah batu?” tanya sang ibu.

"Entahlah, bu! Sepertinya ada yang tidak beres di dalam sana,” jawab sang ayah cemas.

Pak Tani itu berusaha menerangi lubang itu dengan obornya, namun dasar lubang itu sangat dalam sehingga tidak dapat ditembus oleh cahaya obor.

"Seruniii…! Seruniii… !” teriak ayah Seruni.

"Seruni…anakku! Ini ibu dan ayahmu datang untuk menolongmu!” sang ibu ikut berteriak.

Beberapa kali mereka berteriak, namun tidak mendapat jawaban dari Seruni. Hanya suara Seruni terdengar sayup-sayup yang menyuruh batu itu merapat untuk menghimpitnya.

"Parapat… ! Parapat batu… ! Parapat!"

"Seruniiii… anakku!” sekali lagi ibu Seruni berteriak sambil menangis histeris.

Warga yang hadir di tempat itu berusaha untuk membantu. Salah seorang warga mengulurkan seutas tali sampai ke dasar lubang, namun tali itu tidak tersentuh sama sekali. Ayah Seruni semakin khawatir dengan keadaan anaknya. Ia pun memutuskan untuk menyusul putrinya terjun ke dalam lubang batu.

"Bu, pegang obor ini!” perintah sang ayah.

"Ayah mau ke mana?” tanya sang ibu.

"Aku mau menyusul Seruni ke dalam lubang,” jawabnya tegas.

"Jangan ayah, sangat berbahaya!” cegah sang ibu.

"Benar pak, lubang itu sangat dalam dan gelap,” sahut salah seorang warga.

Akhirnya ayah Seruni mengurungkan niatnya. Sesaat kemudian, tiba-tiba terdengar suara gemuruh. Bumi bergoyang dengan dahsyatnya seakan hendak kiamat. Lubang batu itu tiba-tiba menutup sendiri. Tebing-tebing di pinggir Danau Toba pun berguguran. Ayah dan ibu Seruni beserta seluruh warga berlari ke sana ke mari untuk menyelamatkan diri. Mereka meninggalkan mulut lubang batu, sehingga Seruni yang malang itu tidak dapat diselamatkan dari himpitan batu cadas.

Beberapa saat setelah gempa itu berhenti, tiba-tiba muncul sebuah batu besar yang menyerupai tubuh seorang gadis dan seolah-olah menggantung pada dinding tebing di tepi Danau Toba. Masyarakat setempat mempercayai bahwa batu itu merupakan penjelmaan Seruni yang terhimpit batu cadas di dalam lubang. Oleh mereka batu itu kemudian diberi nama “Batu Gantung”.

Beberapa hari kemudian, tersiarlah berita tentang peristiwa yang menimpa gadis itu. Para warga berbondong-bondong ke tempat kejadian untuk melihat “Batu Gantung” itu. Warga yang menyaksikan peristiwa itu menceritakan kepada warga lainnya bahwa sebelum lubang itu tertutup, terdengar suara: “Parapat… parapat batu… parapatlah!"

Oleh karena kata “parapat” sering diucapkan orang dan banyak yang menceritakannya, maka Pekan yang berada di tepi Danau Toba itu kemudian diberi nama “Parapat”. Parapat kini menjadi sebuah kota kecil salah satu tujuan wisata yang sangat menarik di Provinsi Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.