Cerme Cave is a natural and historical cave located at Srunggo Village in the Sub District of Imogiri, Bantul about 20 km away from downtown Yogyakarta. The cave used to be a gathering spot for Islamic Preachers in Indonesia known as Wali Songo (Which means 9 Preachers). Wali Songo is a name given to 9 chosen people in the 15th and 16th century that was given a revelation to spread Islamic belief to their surroundings, especially in the Java region.

During one of their expedition to various areas to spread Islamic belief, they came across a cave which was used as a meeting location to discuss their plans in expanding the Islamic belief, on of which is the plan of establishing the Great Mosque of Demak, a city in the northern part of Central Java Province. That cave is know as Cerme Cave. Cerme itself is taken from the word “Ceramah” which in English is translated into “Speech”.

Today, Cerme Cave is known as an adventure tourism site, with several other caves in Yogyakarta and Central Java. In order to reach the entrance of the cave, one must climb a hill with 759 stairs. The Greatest feature and main attraction of Cerme Cave is the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites hanging almost all around the cave’s route, around 1,2 km far. Another great feature of the cave is the underground current which flows almost non-stop. The depth of the stream can differ from 10 cm to 1,2 meters high, depending on the rainfall and humidity during that time. In order to walk your way through the cave conveniently, it is recommended that you bring a flashlight and wear casual clothing,such as shorts and sandals.

Inside the cave you can also find transparent animals, such as catfish,shrimp and bugs, that has experienced loss of pigmen due to negative adaptations. You might also encounter fruit bats hanging on the rocks. Due to some kind of water formation process, the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave may have different forms one and another. There’s the Drapery form (curtain shaped rock), Shield form (shield shaped rock) and Canopy form (dome shaped rock).

Besides Cerme Cave as the main adventure cave, there are also several smaller caves near Cerme, that was used as a meditation spot and other functions as well. The General Cave is used for imprisoning, Dalang and Sinden Cave is used for achieving spirit guidance for an advance in career,Maling Cave used by thieves as a hiding location, and more.

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