Lau Kawar Lake and The Legend Behind It

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Lau Kawar Lake is one of the lakes in the Leuser area. Lau Kawar Lake has blue waters with charming sightseeing and it lies at the foot of Sinabung Mountain.

To get to Lau Kawar Lake, we can take it from the Medan to Brastagih. The distance is about 30 Km from the City Berastagi or it takes about 1 hour, passing through Kabanjahe – Kuta Rakyat, then we will arrive at Lau Kawar Lake, Naman Teran sub- District, Karo District, North Sumatra. When we reach from Medan, Law Kawar lake is located approximately 69 Km with a distance about 3 hours.

By having 200 Ha area and being compared to Lake Toba, this lake is only 1/6 of Lake Toba, but the charm just the same. Lau Kawar is the entrance to the Sinabung Mountain. Where on the right side of the lake lies Deleng Lancuk or Lancuk Hill where used to be a tracking place; there are a lot of forest orchids that can be found in Deleng Lancuk.
On the left side of Lau Kawar Lake, there is camping ground area of about 3 hectares; this is where the hikers set up their tent before climbing Mount Sinabung. On every Saturday and Sunday, the camping ground is crowded with tents nature, for at least 200-400 tents stood at the camping ground every week, especially if the semester breaks, the number could increase.

Every day, local people fishing with small boats on this lake. Generally, they come back when the sun went down. The scenic of the fishermen's return at dusk adds the exoticism that can be enjoyed by visitors at Lau Kawar Lake.

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The Legend of Lau Kawar Lake

At that time, people believe that harvest season has arrived in Kawar village. The entire citizen was happy with the rice crops; like the Kawar village chief who definitely delighted since he had a very wide field. As the expression of gratitude to God, the Kawar Village chief held a Guro-Guro Aron Drum party in his field for four days and four nights. The entire citizen was invited to that extraordinary party.

Because the invitation was send by the village chief no one dare to refuse the invitation except an old woman, the mother of the village chief. This woman was alone in the house, while all of her children and grandchildren went to the party. Continuously some faint drum voices from time to time could be heard from her bed. Around midday the danced was stopped for lunch break. The village chief and the whole villagers were having luxurious and abundant lunch. Beef and goat as well as pig and chicken were served in the meals; everyone was full, satisfied and happy. But this was just the first day.

After resting for a moment, the dancing and singing was continued came guided by the village chief's child. Strangely while dancing in the afternoon the village chief called his small child, apparently he remembered his mother who was left was alone and hungry at home. Rice with decent side dishes was prepared. The small child was told to deliver it to his grandmother house. However unfortunate fate once again fell on the grandmother, he forgot to delivered the lunch in time, even food he should be delivering was opened by him in the middle of the road and all beef, goat, chicken, and pig was eaten until only the bones left and then the grandchild packed the bone into the original parcel.

Although the lunch was arrived very late on the afternoon but the grandmother still smile to her grandchild who came to bring the lunch. After delivering the lunch, the grandchild then returns the field immediately. Thus the old woman with great difficulty got up from the bed to eat. But when the parcel in opened the grandmother startled because there are only bones in it. For a long time the baffled grandmother gazed at the parcel, did not realize his tear fell wetted his wrinkled cheek. Indeed the grandmother's fate was poor. The child whom she raised into a respected village chief has forgotten his mother. The grandmother's conscience was very sad, disappointed and angry. She cried, and swore "I who give birth and raised you, till you have the respected position evidently you could not respect your own parents, this mother's milk as the witness my child, for that is swore” her tears continued to fell on her cheek. Not long afterwards the words of this unfortunate grandmother was granted, dark dew began to close the sky, as the day got dark. Lightning and the thunder swarmed continuously. The whole citizen who was celebrating the party began to panic; moreover the rain began to pour down rapidly.

The party was ended instantly; the entire citizen ran looking for a sheltering place. But the rain does not care, the rain continuously poured down for seven day and seven the night, then suddenly a flood happened. Kawar village that located precisely under Sinabung Mountain Foot was sunk. Nothing could be saved. Kawar village then became a lake, which today known as the Lau Kawar Lake.

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