Location: Buaya Sangkut waterfalls, Endau Rompin National Park, Malaysia (2°2′01″N, 103°19′10″E)
Date: 13 August 1995; 2.10pm
Camera: (analogue) Olympus Mu on negatives and scanned
Endau Rompin National Park straddles the states of Johor and Pahang, Malaysia. It is a huge natural reserve of lush, pristine tropical rainforest with some unique floral and fauna only found here. The park is intrinsically tied up with numerous legends and myths handed down through the years, including that of the spectacular 5-level 40 meters high and 30 meters wide, cascading waterfall named Buaya Sangkut.
One legend has it that the Jasin River and the Endau River were dwelled by thousands of dangerous crocodiles. The man-eaters often attack and endanger the people in the area who use the river. The ‘Orang Asli’ (aborigine) believed that if they could kill the crocodile king, the people will not fear the crocodiles anymore. They managed to catch the crocodile king after hunting it for some time. The crocodile king was thrown into the water at Seganggong hill, the top of the current waterfall. The crocodile was unable to move as it was trapped at the rocky hill. Finally the crocodile died and the waterfall was named "‘Buaya Sangkut" literally means "Stranded Crocodile".
Another legend was that a woman was haunted by a dream that a crocodile was coming to kill her new-born daughter. Believing that the dream was an omen, the woman and her family moved uphill to avoid this catastrophe. However the crocodile followed them. To protect their baby girl, the husband summoned a python to kill the crocodile, leading to a fierce fight ending in the death of both reptiles. Relieved at the outcome, the husband de-skinned the crocodile and hung its hide on a wall. Unfortunately a few days later, the hide fell on the daughter and killed her anyway.
Whichever legends one subscribes to, it is widely believed that the crocodile-shaped stone at the foot of the falls, which is visible when the water level is low, is the same crocodile recounted in the legends.
1 comment:
Breathtaking Waterfalls.
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