The Forgotten Port of Cikao: A Gateway Between Mountains and Sea

 

Once upon a time, when land transport was merely a dream, the Cikao Port stood proudly in Kampung Talibaju, Cikaobandung Village, Purwakarta, West Java. More than just a docking place for boats, this port was the lifeblood of trade that connected the Priangan highlands to the Java Sea coast.

Imagine a bustling market on one side of the river. Traders exchanged stories and haggled over prices while wooden boats arrived and departed in an unceasing rhythm. Barges carried mountain produce—coffee and cotton—while salt and other coastal commodities flowed in from the sea, linking two worlds in a harmonious trade.

Spanning 130 kilometers, the river connected Cikao Port with the docks of Cabangbungin and Muaragembong in Bekasi, West Java, where goods were collected before continuing their journey to Batavia, now Jakarta.

Cikao was not just any port. It was chosen because of the calm flow of the Citarum River. The slight gradient over hundreds of kilometers made it ideal for trade, assisted by the tidal patterns of the Java Sea, which helped barges navigate downstream during low tide and return upstream during high tide.

The port’s history is also filled with myths. Many associate Cikao with the Chinese Makao rebellion against the Dutch in Purwakarta, though this narrative has been debunked as a historical misinterpretation. The name Cikao itself dates back to the Kingdom of Pakuan Pajajaran, long before the 1832 Karaman Rebellion. At that time, the port was looted and its warehouses set ablaze.

The port took its name from its location at the mouth of the Cikao River, which originated from Mount Burangrang, where Kao trees thrived. This name, along with the regions of Wanayasa and Cikumpay, appeared on 17th-century Dutch colonial maps, confirming its significance.

Interestingly, the name Cikaobandung has nothing to do with the modern city of Bandung. In the past, the Cikao River naturally divided two districts: Bandung to the south and Karawang to the north. This geographical split gave rise to two names—Cikaobandung and Cikaokarawang—though Cikaobandung remained the more well-known.

At the heart of the port was the Talibaju dock, whose name originated from the Sanskrit words “Tali” (river) and “Bajo” (to navigate the sea), meaning “a place on the river for sailing to the sea.” Over time, the name morphed to Talibaju, but its importance as a silent witness to the adventures of traders and explorers remained.

Cikao Port was once a vibrant economic hub. Its warehouses stored tons of coffee, waiting to be shipped to Batavia. However, transportation was not always efficient. In 1835, thousands of tons of coffee were left unshipped for months. Similarly, sugar stocks from 1832 still sat in the warehouses until they were auctioned off in 1833 due to transportation delays.

By 1876, the coffee harvest had reached 2,400 tons, but limited boat capacity delayed shipments for another year. This overflow of goods added pressure to the already-busy port, as did the increasing demand for quinine bark and tea, further straining the port’s resources.

Cikao’s role wasn’t limited to trade. It also served as a crucial route for transporting materials to construct the grand buildings of Bandung, like Gedung Sate and Gedung Merdeka. Building materials arrived from Batavia via the Citarum River, then continued their journey along the Highway Pajajaran, hauled by carts pulled by buffalo.

Despite its critical role, Cikao’s glory faded as modern land transportation developed. The construction of Parisdo Dam in the 1920s, now known as the Walahar Dam, altered the river’s flow and cut off access to the port. As roads and railways took over, the port’s significance in West Java’s economic network dwindled.

Today, little remains of the once-thriving Cikao Port. Only photographs from the Dutch colonial era and a few remnants of its past glory serve as silent reminders of its role in shaping the economy of Priangan and Batavia. It is a forgotten landmark that once connected the highlands to the sea, leaving behind a legacy that played a crucial role in the colonial economy of the Dutch East Indies.