Awesomeness Mistery of Alas Roban

Alas Roban, small forest at Gringsing sub-district, most eastern district in Batang Town, Central Java. There is a uphill and winding road along the hill with large teak trees shadowing. The road is known as an eerie track because of many unusual haps and a number of accidents.

A monument of safety has built in the middle of old track. Next to it there is a ruin tomb of Sheikh Jangkung, who had ruled the area. But his commemorate tombstone was fallen near one of the large teak tree.

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Roban is derived from the word ‘rob’ which means the water rises. This word is very well known for the coastal communities. The Roban village lays in Subah sub-district, the coastal area of Java Sea. The atmosphere of this place up to now still shrouded in thick mystical nuance.

The old Kampoong Roban was known as Demon Roban. It was said that many Roban’s society had high capability to transform them selves to be crocodiles. Those crocodile demons then made Roban  wellknow as Roban Demon.

Is there any sinister journey more than through the Alas Roban? Long ago, it’s a famous haunted place, be frightening for the people or the driver whom passed by. What about now? What the exactly mystery surround this haunted forest?

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It took two hours by riding a motorcycle from Semarang. Arriving at western of Kendal border, the forrest can be reached in approximately fifteen minutes. There is a fork after reach the Kutosari Village. Take the right track to get directly to Alas Roban. Get straight until find the other fork  again. Well, the famous creepy line is that the left track.

Actually, the current Alas Roban route is divided into three tracks. First, pass through the southern line, with the uphill road on white concrete. This track starts from the Kutosari village as mentioned above. The new road was built around the 2000s.

Then the second track starts from the Plelen village which forked. The original Alas Roban track is on the left. And the third one, the right track, is on the northern, built in the 1990s.

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The awesomeness of Alas Roban was already well known. Mainly before the two lanes, the southern and the northern side, had not been built yet. Each rider would experience a different hap when passed by. This is because of the heaving and sharp cornering road with cliffs and ravine besides.

But that’s not actually scary. In the past, someone would pass two challenges at once when he through this track. The first one is a visible challenge for the existence of criminal gangs and footpads who ready to tackle any luggage.

So, because of those risks, no vehicles dared passing night. The vehicles that coming from the east or Semarang would stop in front of Plelen market. And which from the west or Jakarta would rest in Banyuputih. They had dared to cross the road of Alas Roban at 05.00 p.m. If any vehicle that dared to pass in the night, had to wait for others.

A second one is the invisible challenge from various spirits who are ready “tease” anyone. The temptation experience among drivers will be clearly different. And it can be fatalistic because the accidents often occur for the driver saw sighting things.

In retrospect, there is only one highway of Alas Roban, namely Highway Poncowati. The road was built during Herman Willem Daendels reign, the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies 36th. He ruled in 1808 to 1811.

Thousands of  Indonesian people died under his rule. Those were forced to build the Anyer to Panarukan highway, about 1000 kilometres. Those who died were then buried away as happened at Alas Roban.

Okay, get ready travelling to Alas Roban alone?

Read also Travelling to Mount Srandil.